As of July 6, 2015, lightning has killed 17 people in the United States. That’s more than twice the number of people who died from lightning strikes by July 6 of 2014, according to statistics from the National Weather Service (NWS).

Every one of those deaths was preventable!

There are some important facts that you, your family members and friends need to understand to avoid being the next lightning victim.

The first is that you can be struck by lightning even if If it’s not raining or there aren’t clouds overhead! Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the center of the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or thunderstorm cloud., according to the National Weather Service.

You can be struck by lightning even if If it’s not raining or there aren’t clouds overhead!

That’s why the NWS coined the slogan, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” The point is, that because lightning can strike so far from the actual storm, the best way to protect yourself and your family from lightning is to head indoors immediately after you begin hearing thunder.

Probably the second most important thing to know is that no matter what you do, you’re not safe from lightning outdoors. Your only reliable choices are to be inside a substantial building or in a fully enclosed, metal vehicle. Nothing else works; not crouching down, now laying flat, not sitting in a car that has a fiberglass shell and certainly not standing under a tree!

Remember, everyone who lightning killed this year would still be alive today if they’d taken appropriate shelter soon enough. Don’t wait until it’s too late!

For more information, check out the NWS’ lightning safety page.