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30 Everyday Activities That Are More Dangerous Than They Appear
The ancient Romans used to say, "Forewarned is forearmed." Well, they were generally smart and reasonable folks, so it's actually hard to argue with this saying. So indeed, if you definitely know that some thing or activity can be really dangerous, then most likely you minimize this danger.
Well, some will call this list of ours a tad bit paranoid, and some will say that we are exaggerating. But, firstly, it’s better to always be on guard, and secondly, it’s not only us who think so, but also numerous netizens in a viral thread, a selection of the most interesting opinions of which we suggest to you today.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Someone else in the vehicle not wearing their seatbelt. A 200 lb passenger not wearing their seatbelt turns into a 200 lb sack of meat and bones flying around the cabin during a collision. If they smack into you then you're f****d.
Even if you don't respect your own safety and wellbeing, respect the safety and wellbeing of the other people in the car. Wear your seatbelt, wear your seatbelt, WEAR YOUR F*****G SEATBELT!
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#2
Moving water. It doesn't take much flowing water to knock you off your feet, or float a car.
#3
Pool drains. I have the worst fear of pool drains, especially the large square drains, because in 2000, I got stuck to a massive square drain the size of a door at the bottom of a community pool when it accidentally turned on. Luckily, the lifeguard immediately jumped into action and had the drain turned off. They had to cut out my hair and I had the worst Posh Spice bob for the rest of 5th grade. In most recent years, due to several pool drain-related deaths, I’ve read that pool drain covers have to be “dome-like” and there are two drain systems, so if someone gets stuck on one drain, the suction goes to the other drain. I have a slight obsession with looking up pool drain safety these days.
The original thread appeared on the AskReddit community quite a long time ago, and during this time, probably many new potentially dangerous things have appeared (suffice it to say that the thread is pre-Covid). However, the question "What could k**l you in your daily life that people don't even understand [is] that dangerous?" collected over 29K upvotes and around 16K different comments.
So we sincerely believe that a selection of people's opinions on this issue, given the number of comments, will really be useful and interesting for anyone. Because in this case, the number of comments clearly turns into quality.
#4
Stress. stress can k**l. had a few middle aged friends who were working on this or that project. often not even work related. pulling late hours. definitely complained of stress. no health issues. just stress. boom, they drop dead or don't wake up.
likewise have known people in grief or other emotional stress. they die planning the funeral or on the way to the funeral or something. no previous health issues, just intense emotions. stress can k**l.
#5
Falling. From any height including on level ground. You just have to hit your head in a particular way and that's it for you. One of my biggest fears is falling in the bathroom, hitting my head and dying. Then someone will have to retrieve my dead, naked and probably rotting body. So embarrassing.
#6
18 wheelers. Can’t believe the amount of future Darwin Award recipients playing road games and brake checking semis...
By and large, after reading this selection of stories, even the calmest and most cold-blooded person can get goosebumps. From stairs to pool drains, from beach umbrellas to escalators - literally everything that surrounds us can become a source of an unpleasant incident with a fatal outcome. And people from all over tell many stories that only confirm this fear.
#7
Mixing alcohol with Tylenol. You might not see the effects for years, but it can cause crazy liver damage.
#8
Ladders.
There's a surprising amount of fatalities from people falling off ladders every year.
Edit: there have to be at least 100+ stories of fatalities, people getting maimed, injuries, or at best lucky close calls in response to this post. I've read them all and some of it is downright tragic. Be careful people, and don't let your boss browbeat you into using a ladder when you shouldn't (rickety ladder, too short for the job, on a slippery surface, etc).
#9
Water.... we take it for granted, but that b***h will k**l you.
Don't drink enough.... dead. Drink too much.... dead. Inhale some.... dead. Standing outside when it's coming down... swept away and dead.
On the other hand, aren't these fears excessive? After all, virtually anything around us can play a fatal role in our lives - one just has to gape a bit, or find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. As for examples and statistics, you can really pick suitable examples for any life situation, providing these examples with convincing statistical data.
#10
Not getting enough sleep - short term, just not being alert increases your risk for an accidental injury or worse, and longer term sleep deprivation issues could lead to illness or death.
#11
Smoldering ashes. Ashes can smolder for hours, and you won't even notice. I have a two stage system for outside ashtrays, and a safe spot for the grill to cool down overnight. Never take chances with any form of fire.
Speaking of, dryer lint, clean out your lint trap, clean out the exhaust point for your dryer, and check that everything is working properly.
"All the examples from this collection can actually be divided into three groups," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. "The first are fears based on literally isolated cases, the second are sometimes dangerous things, and the third are widespread and well-known dangers - for example, stress or lack of sleep."
"Accordingly, a person's reaction here should be different - you need to sensibly assess the risk from unlikely dangers. For example, the fact that sometimes people get stuck to pool drains doesn’t mean that you should avoid swimming pools for the rest of your life. But it is really worth taking reasonable precautions - for example, checking the probable risks."
#13
Diabetes. Had a friend die the year after high school from diabetes no one knew he had. Everyone said the only possiblity was some sort of accident, as we'd all seen him only weeks prior and he was healthy then (plus you couldn't not like the guy, no way anyone would ever k**l him). Was shocked to say the least when I found out he died of diabetes. Sounds like a very painful way to go.
#14
A rotten tooth put my friend in intensive care for ten days with a terrible infection in his blood. He almost died.
#15
So I know this wouldn’t apply to everyone’s daily life, but my full time job is at a zoo and I work at our sea lion exhibit where people can feed the animals from the top of a ledge. One of the safety rules we have is don’t dangle your arms over the ledge because it’s teasing the animal and that’s the signal to them that you have fish so if you keep your arms over long enough looking like you’re holding a fish, it’s possible that sea lion will jump to your hand and bite you. A lot of people disregard this rule because the want to get the animal’s attention. What a lot of people don’t realize is that 1) sea lions have extremely sharp teeth and can and most likely will hurt you if they bite you. 2) Sea lion bites have an extremely high infection rates and if you’re bitten you will most likely contract an illness called “seal finger” if not treated properly, seal finger can actually lead to the loss of hand function and fingers themselves. If not treated it all it may possibly lead to death.... and not a lot of medical professionals are used to treating sea lion bites so.
"As for such widely known dangers as stress or lack of sleep, it seems to me that they appeared in this selection precisely because they represent a delayed menace to our health. Accordingly, people often neglect these risks because they don’t believe that something bad can happen to them. And then, alas, it becomes too late to react..." Irina Matveeva summarizes.
What you definitely shouldn't do is give in to panic and deprive yourself of the usual or unusual joys of life simply because someone once suffered from this. In the end, it is far from certain that the described danger will definitely turn into something more real. But you shouldn't lose your vigilance either.
#16
There was a story [two years ago] of a woman who was struck and k****d by a beach umbrella that wasn't fastened down properly while vacationing in Virginia Beach. The wind picked the umbrella up and it landed on her chest as she walked by. Worst of all, this was on her birthday AND marriage anniversary.
#17
Hydraulics. If you work in industry you're constantly around hydraulics containings hundreds of psi of a heavy, non compressable fluid that requires zero licensing or specific training to work on. Just as potentially dangerous as electricity without many understanding just how hazardous it can be.
#18
I still see people light up a smoke while pumping gas. You’d think this would be common knowledge as well as common sense, but evidently not.
In any case, we do believe that this selection will become a source of useful information for you, and from now on, you will look at familiar things from a new angle, sensibly and rationally assessing the probable risks to health and life. By the way, if you also have something to say about this, we’re already waiting for your comments under this post.
#19
The sun.
Most common cause of heat stroke is not covering the back of your neck when out on a hot day.
#20
Don't hide in a clothes dryer when playing hide and seek. Some of those are airtight and you will suffocate to death.
Edit: RIP, my inbox, holy s**t.
#22
Carbon monoxide - get a detector. Not sure how big of a deal it is anymore but it was like THE k****r thing in the 90s
"Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no smell or taste. Breathing it in can make you unwell, and it can k**l if you're exposed to high levels. Incorrectly installed, poorly maintained or poorly ventilated household appliances – such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers – are the most common causes of accidental exposure to carbon monoxide."- NHS England.
#23
General anesthesia. My friend's mother went in for a routine surgery on something completely non life threatening. She never woke up.
#24
I see a lot of videos of people getting attacked by trained animals that are still dangerous (lions and bears for example)
People need to know not surprise a trained bear (coming in too close behind it for a photo) Don't get mad at an animal for acting like an animal.
saw a girl get bit by a wild shark. She was hand feeding it. Like what did you expect would happen????????
#25
Tires, just check out some of the top posts on /r/TiresAreTheEnemy. A loose tire from a semi or car can come out of no where and just wreck you as you as you walk down the street minding your own business.
#28
If your really unlucky brain eating worms that can be found in water out of the hose. A 12 month old baby was playing in his shell pool in my state w a garden hose his mum had given him . 3 days later he was gone. From my understanding u can get them from swimming pools too.
#29
Cellulose tampons. Leave them in too long and you can die from toxic shock due to bacterial infection.
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