So, there is a lot of bad, anecdotal information out there about which is worse, AC or DC. The reality is that it _depends on the situation_. In the case of sh

So, there is a lot of bad, anecdotal information out there about which is worse, AC or DC. The reality is that it _depends on the situation_. In the case of shock and electrocution DC is _less dangerous_ than low frequency AC (sub ~1kHz). The "let go" currents for DC are several times higher than that of low freq AC, meaning it requires a higher DC voltage to prevent someone from being able to let go. The same is true for the currents where danger of injury and death can occur. DC is still safer than low freq AC. This has been scientifically tested numerous times in both ethical and non-ethical ways. Here is a paper that shows actual numbers for "let go" currents and dangerous currents vs frequency (from DC up to 10kHz): http://www.wright.edu/~guy.vandegrift/wikifiles/Electric%20shock%20voltages%20Dalziel.pdf http://www.wright.edu/~guy.vandegrift/wikifiles/Electric%20s... In particular look at Fig 3 on page 3 of the above PDF. (One really interesting thing to note in this paper is that women have lower "let go" and dangerous current levels!) However! There is another factor here where AC can be safer than DC. Fire safety! It is much more difficult to prevent DC from arcing and potentially caused fires than AC. This is because the zero crossover of AC which you mentioned generally causes any arcs to quickly extinguish at lower voltages. DC doesn't cross zero volts and will produce far more arcing at the same voltage. This is why if you look at the ratings for switches, relays, plugs, etc the DC rating is always much lower than the AC rating.