Are power lines insulated?

Many people think that power lines have insulation material around them like the electric cords we see on appliances. However, high voltage lines are not insulated. An appliance will use voltages of 110 to 240 volts. At that level insulation material is practical. But at 7,200 volts, that material would burn off the line, and if the material was substantial enough to handle that voltage, it would be too heavy and too expensive to use.

Why can birds sit on power lines without being hurt, when it would kill me to touch that same line?

Electricity is lazy - always searching for a quick and easy path to the ground. When a bird lands on the line, and does not provide a path to the ground, the electricity continues to take its straight path through the conductor. However, if that bird were to sit on a pole, the electricity would immediately run through the bird, finding a quick path to the ground. The bird will be safe as long as it doesn't allow one part of its body to touch the conductor and another to touch a path to the ground. If a person should climb a tree, reach out and touch a power line, electricity would flow through the person to get to the ground.

What should I do if I'm in a car which hits a pole and a power line falls on it?

Again, never let one part of the your body touch a conductor and another touch the ground. The best thing to do is sit in the car until someone comes to help. You should be all right as long as you stay put. The only time you would have to get out is if a fire should break out. In that case, you would open the door and jump from the vehicle, being careful not to touch the ground and the car at the same time.

If I am wearing tennis shoes and I touch a power line, will I be protected?

No! Linemen wear special protective equipment when they are working around the power lines to protect themselves against accidentally touching one of the lines. These rubber-type gloves and sleeves are made of a special insulation material, at an exact thickness. The gloves have to be tested every 60 days to make sure they are doing the job they were designed for. Tennis shoes are not made to be insulators and definitely don't undergo periodic laboratory testing. You should never touch anything which is energized. in the end its fine in the end