A STUDENT PLT IN A C172 ON TRAINING FLT STRUCK A CABLE AT APPROX 500 FT AGL.

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ON JAN/SAT/99; I WAS FLYING SOLO OVER THE AREA OF CARBONDALE; CO; IN A C172. THE INTENT OF THE SOLO WAS TO SATISFY THE LAST 2 HRS OF MY PREREQUISITE AND TO PRACTICE FOR MY FAA FLT TEST. I WAS AIRBORNE FROM GLENWOOD ARPT. CLBING TO AN ALT OF APPROX 9500 FT MSL OVER THE CARBONDALE AREA; I PRACTICED STALLS; FIGURE EIGHTS; S- TURNS AND EMER LNDG PROCS. AFTER A COUPLE OF SIMULATED EMER LNDGS IN OPEN FIELDS AND AN UNUSED RWY I RECALLED THAT I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THE FAA INSPECTOR PREFERRED SIMULATED EMER LNDGS ON ROADS. I THEN PROCEEDED TO SIMULATE AN EMER OVER A LCL HWY. MY INTENTION WAS TO SEE HOW A PLANE COULD LAND ON A ROAD IF THERE WAS TFC. I SELECTED THE SIDE OF THE HWY WITH NO UTILITIES AND FLEW PARALLEL TO THE HWY WATCHING TFC SPD AGAINST THE ACFT OPTIMUM GLIDE SPD. WHEN SURE THAT I COULD LAND SAFELY I NOTICED A CAR PULL INTO THE TFC LANE WHERE I ENVISIONED MY PLANE LNDG SO I HESITATED MY ASCENT AS I CONTEMPLATED THIS CHANGE OF EVENTS. AS I PULLED THE NOSE UP TO CLB AWAY I SAW A FLASH OUT OF MY L EYE AND FELT THE PLANE SHUDDER MOMENTARILY AND THEN CONTINUE THE ASCENT. THE LIGHT UTILITY LINE I CONNECTED WITH WAS RUNNING ACROSS THE ROAD AND THE POST WAS ON A HIGH BANK (APPROX 500 FT BANK) TO MY R. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS BECAUSE I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE CAR. I RETURNED TO GLENWOOD ARPT AND LANDED SAFELY. THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ANY DAMAGE TO THE ACFT EXCEPT POSSIBLY A MARK ON THE PAX STRUT COVER; WHICH MY INSTRUCTOR WAS NOT SURE IF IT HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE THE INCIDENT. MY INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY DEBRIEFED ME ON THE DANGERS OF LOW FLT. I AM VERY AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER IN THIS INCIDENT AND WILL NOW SIMULATE MY EMERS AT A SAFE ALT. I AM ALSO MORE AWARE OF THE OPERATING HTS AROUND OBSTRUCTIONS.