Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
“What Was The ‘Survival Tip That Will Save Your Life’ That Actually Saved Your Life?” (50 Answers)
When we think of survival, we probably imagine getting stuck in the wilderness with no signal, no food, and no shelter, relying on our ingenuity just to stay alive. However, we don’t have to be stranded on the outskirts of civilization to benefit from some basic survival skills. Whether we’re out getting a coffee or just eating a family meal at home, unfortunately, emergencies can happen anywhere.So to help you stay safer out there, we compiled the top answers to the question posted on Reddit, "What was the 'survival tip that will save your life' that actually saved your life?” Scroll down to see them for yourself, and don’t forget to upvote those that may just actually save someone’s life from a tragedy.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
To preface, I was 21, weighed all of 95 lbs and looked like I lived to party.
I was at a bbq of a wealthy family member of my friend in San Francisco. I knew nobody except my friend.
The host let his dogs have the rib bones. One of them started gagging in distress. While everyone sat staring at the choking animal I jumped up, grabbed the dog, shoved my arm down its throat and retrieved the bone. I threw it onto the patio and looked at the host with fire. “Do not give your dog bones!” I screamed.
Not a single person responded, not even a thank you, but I saved a dogs life that day. Yeah me.
RELATED:
#2
My Gido (grandfather) was a jovial man. He was short, a Ukrainian-Canadian immigrant, a WWII RCAF vet, bald since he was 30 with a combover, and a retired railroad man who grew vegetables and roses. Nothing really bothered him.
But we were getting ice cream when I was 12, and I was an overgrown kid, but some guy in his 30s tried to flirt with me and squeezed my butt. My Gido, who was shorter than me with a grandpa gut, squared up on this tall, muscular man and growled out a threat I don’t remember, because I’d jumped and backed up when the guy touched me, but something about that silent generation cold fury made this dude beat retreat.
He turned back to me, gently took my hand, and we went back to the ice cream window and ordered. I could feel the heat leaving his body. I didn’t even feel that upset - the guy had touched me and scared me a bit, but I never felt unsafe because I had always felt protected because I was with him. He had always been there to catch my falls and pull me back from danger. I told him that.
But he said, “I won’t always be there. You’re going to go to high school and university, and go off with your friends, and sometimes you’ll end up alone. What you have to do is be scarier than them. I learned that in the war.
If we ever came across a Jerry and the boys, we were supposed to act crazy, like rabid dogs, and start shooting. The bullets don’t scare ‘em, but you put the two together and they panic, and you can get ‘em in the back.”
When I was 20 (before cell phones) I was walking home alone, three beers and some magic mushrooms deep. Gido had been dead a year after a massive stroke. But a man following me had just made it on my radar, so I turned right. He followed me. I turned right again. He followed me. And I remembered Gido telling me if I saw Jerry…
So I turned around and started howling like a trapped dog. Just screaming and awooing and thrashing in the air. He stopped. I screamed F**K YOU YOU SON OF A B***H FUUUUU*K. I flailed some more. I acted like a feral werewolf in a movie. I knew it was partly the mushrooms and beer uninhibiting me, and Gido’s rage in my veins.
And the guy turned around and started walking, then jogging, as I screamed and spat. When I was sure he was gone, I ran home in my heels.
If you see Jerry….
Peeka_Mimi 5 months ago
True story. My bully once said: I'm gonna kick your @$$. I replied, "that's funny because I'm gonna k¡ll you and then I'm going to eat you." My sensei called that "Talk Talk Play Talk." Just look crazy. That broad had a good foot over me and easily 100lbs. I am petite.
#3
“STOP THE CAR, IM GOING TO VOMIT”
I used this twice. Once with a friend who was driving super SUPER high and I had no clue (she actually crashed her car 2 days later) and once with a guy who wasn’t taking no for an answer. He stopped and I booked it.
If you’re freaked and need to get out of a car, and if the person is not listening and stopping, say you’re going to be sick.
Royal Stray 5 months ago
I have been in cars with both drunk (had no idea they'd been drinking more than one beer several hours earlier) and sober drivers. And while the drunk guy was clearly not fit to drive he at least drove more carefully due to that. I'm never getting in the car with the sober guy again. Worst driver I've ever met. Found out later that he apparently likes driving like an idiot for fun. Moral of the story, it's better to have your own transportation, and if you don't make sure you know the driver well enough to trust them to get you home safe
#4
Drowning. I saved my son from drowning in a pool. He had swallowed so much water that he couldn’t breathe. I put him on his back, rolled him to his side and hit him on the back. He ended up throwing up numerous times. His first words to me were, Thanks for saving me Dad. I still get choked up, 15 years later.
Billo66 5 months ago (edited)
Yes. I worked at a waterpark and they pulled a child from the bottom who apparently some other kids had been teasing, holding him under. They got him breathing for a bit but he didn't make it. He was a car length away from me and I could do nothing, already surrounded by emergency people. Never found the boys that did it. He was only there on a bus with his church for the day. Imagine hearing that news as a parent. still chokes me up man.
#5
A bar in the bottom of a sliding glass door track to prevent it from opening.
When I split from my ex, I moved with an infant into a ground floor apartment with a sliding glass door. My dad asked my brother in law to cut a piece of wood to put into the bottom of the interior door track to prevent it from opening. Sure enough when he showed up to k**l me, that piece of wood saved my life. It kept him out and bought me time.
Also, plenty of people heard him taking a crow bar to my front door and no one else called for help. My neighbor saw him and recognized him but didn’t want to get in the business. When someone is trying to k**l me, please get in my business. I am much older and wiser now and I will error on the side of my safety and yours.
Royal Stray 5 months ago
People being uncomfortable with "what if I'm overreacting" is going to be (if it isn't already) a leading cause as to why people get hurt. If you see someone about to get hurt or being in danger it's better to overreact and apologize than to just let it be.
#6
My best friend was held up at gunpoint. The dude pointed and told her to go to a more secluded area. She remembered a police officer once telling her "Never go to a second location." She refused and she's here today and I'm forever thankful.
FranSinclair 5 months ago
And when you get in your car, before you even buckle up....lock your doors!
#7
“Everybody in, nobody out!” River safety is no joke.
My friend’s dog jumped into a river and started to get swept away due to the increased current from flooding. My friend jumped into the river to rescue her dog. I started to jump in after her, heard this safety phrase in the back of my head, grabbed a branch and swung myself back onto land (there was a decent drop into the river). I ended up having to run down the shoreline a bit to catch up to them, and then hoisted both my friend and her dog out of the water. None of us would have been able to make it out had I have also jumped in.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
This happens a lot with rip tides in the ocean, too. People jump into to save someone drifting out to sea and neither makes it back. 🙁
#8
Woke up around 1am and went to use the bathroom. Started sweating profusely from what felt like every pore in my body. Then started feeling like I had to throw up. Individually, they were concerning. Together, they were not good.
Woke my wife up and said “I need to go to the ER…like right now”. Got there, told them what was going on and sent straight into a room. Wife was let in a few minutes later and we were told I was in the midst of a heart attack.
Asked my cardiologist a few days later what would’ve happened if I had just tried to sleep it off and see how I felt in the morning. He said “you wouldn’t have woke up”.
Don’t ignore the signs, folks. .
#9
“Always let someone know where you’re going.”
Many hikers, travelers, or solo drivers were rescued because someone knew their route and raised the alarm when they didn’t return.
BookFanatic 5 months ago
I know a guy who lives alone and always writes his destination, time left & anticipated time of return on a whiteboard. He says that if something happens, at least there'll be some information for law enforcement.
#10
I rehabbed aggressive dogs and learned how to act in a dog attack situation.
If its one dog, stay still. Don't run, don't fight. Put your hands up so it doesn't grab your arms or nip your fingers, and don't give it any stimulus.
If you run, its a game. If you fight, it's a fight. Either way you're going to lose.
Be prepared to fight if you have to, because running you'll die tired. Hit it hard, hit it fast, and get ready to have a really bad day.
Then the day came, I was getting out of my car and my neighbor's untrained pitbull that he was walking without a leash decided to charge me.
I did all the things, and as he got up to me he was confused because nothing was happening. It stopped and tried to goad me into doing something, leading to him trying to nip my leg.
So I took the bag of Arizona Ice Tea cans I had just bought and swung like that s**t downwards like a medieval flail. C*****d it right between the eyes and on top of the nose and backed it off. I'm not sure it even knew what just happened.
And THEN the owner showed up, so who knows what would have happened?
Beak Hookage 5 months ago
I was walking my (small, leashed) dog and a big dog - we're talking Rottweiler size - who was wandering around loose saw us, made this horrible snarling noise, and charged. I acted on instinct by grabbing my dog and holding him up out of reach, and then bracing myself. The big dog suddenly stopped a few paces away and just left like he'd lost interest. I guess I accidentally followed this advice? All I knew at the time was "I won't let anything happen to my dog!" and I was prepared to get mauled if that's what it took.
#11
Not my life, but DON’T MOVE ANYONE WITH A POTENTIAL SPINAL INJURY. I recently drove up to a very fresh, very bad motorcycle accident (bike vs. pickup truck). The injured guy’s friends were about to try to TAKE HIS HELMET OFF. I ran up like a crazy person and yelled to not touch him, then kept his head and neck immobilized until the EMTs showed up. He was conscious but not oriented and kept asking his friends to move him, which was quite obviously not in his best interest. .
Jihana 5 months ago
It seems to be different in different countries. In Austria I did several first aid courses and learned how to safely remove the helmet from motorcycle riders, both alone and with a second person. And it was recommended to remove the helmet because if the person throws up it can't go anywhere and they could inhale it. Also you should always move them into the recovery position, but make sure that you rotate the body along with the head. I know I'll probably get downvoted by people from countries with different recommendations, but I am from Austria and here you are supposed to remove the helmet.
#12
"Rettungsgasse"
In case of a traffic jam on the German Autobahn the cars in the left lane go as far to the left as possible. The cars in all the lanes to the right of the very left lane go as far to the right as possible. (It doesn't matter if it's 2 or 6 lanes). That creates a passageway for Police, Firetrucks and Ambulances so they can get to potential accidents. My mum and I got into an accident that flipped and squashed the car. First responders were able to get my mum out, but I was stuck and bleeding heavily becausemy broken femur broke throughthe skin.. Only because of everyone creating a proper emergency lane, the firefighters and the ambulance were with me fast enough to get me out and stop the bleeding. If thst hadn't been the case, I might have lost the leg or died.
#13
When traveling, leave all your real jewelry at home. Get cheap costume fake jewelry to wear. Fake Rolex, fake rings, etc. When you get mugged, they think they made a good score, and run off. They’ll find out later that instead of $5000 worth of diamonds, they got $5 worth of garbage. This paid off when we were robbed in Jamaica. .
#14
Knew nothing about it so took a scuba diving certification class during grad school, I was paired with a strangely nervous guy, the rest were couples. He had to retake the pool test a few times. On the first open water dive day, we swam out in pairs as a group with wetsuits, flippers, maybe bc and weight belt. Half way out, and in mild surf, my designated dive buddy had a full panic nutty after swallowing some water and tried to climb on top of me.
Had long ago been a Boy Scout and took the lifeguard merit badge where they described this exact scenario and what to do. I gulped air, dove down so he’d let go of me and swam up behind his panicked a*s, put him in a light headlock as I recalled taking for that ancient merit badge test and swam us both in to shore like that. The dive master was apoplectic screaming at us swimming away from the rest of his group and turned everyone around and brought the entire group back to shore. He was pissed until he understood what had happened. They expelled him, and the dive master was my diving buddy for the rest of the sessions and final dive with full gear.
#15
"Truck water and food"
Always carry sealed drinking water in the vehicle.
Keep some no-heat-ready-to-eat food stuff in your vehicle.
I got stranded in cornfield Iowa during a snowstorm and had to wait it out for four days until I get get dug out.
Lost myself in Idaho and got my rig STUCK really good way out in the back country for a week.
Beef Jerky and a five gallon jug of potable water got me through.
geezeronthehill 5 months ago
In the great lakes region we called that your 'ditch kit'. Extra clothes, warm hat, high calorie foods. Water can remain frozen, doesn't hurt it at all.
#16
I once saw a post on Reddit about someone who had a weird red line going up their arm. Everyone told them to go to the ER, that it was an infection leading up to their heart. A couple of years later, my husband cut his elbow. Two days later, he started with a fever and when I looked at his arm, I saw the line and made him go right away (we were on vacation and he wanted to wait until we got home). 3 days in the hospital and a surgery later he was ok, but the nurse told us he could've lost his arm or died if he brushed it off like he tried to. So thank you to that reddit poster!
LookASquirrel 5 months ago
It's not just a stupid song by a stupid man, cat scratch fever is tetanus. It can be deadly. My aunt was hospitalized after her unvaccinated outdoor cat bit her. I get my dTap all the time because not only have i been bit by dogs and cats I do a lot of outdoor things. You never know when a rusty nail is going to get you and I'm not talking scotch! Get your vaccines people! They save lives!
#17
Self-heimlich. I choked on food while driving in a busy street, didn't breathe for over a minute because it was standstill traffic and I was in the middle lane. Ended up cutting people off at the slightest sight of room, put my car in the ditch and 8th grade home ec came to mind as I heimliched myself on the spoiler of my car. C*****d a rip, spit the food out and cried for 10 mins because my vision started to go black. .
Uncle Panda 5 months ago (edited)
I've done the Heimlich on myself over a Windsor style curved back chair. It took three tries and the obstruction cleared. What I didn't know was that if you bruise your diaphragm, you get to learn the astonishing amount of things that can hurt when you've bruised your diaphragm. Everything the torso is connected to it.
#18
Someone else’s life: I’m glad those Heimlich maneuver posters are everywhere. I was having lunch on a Monday in a neighborhood that’s mostly residential, so it was just me and one other person at another table. He choked on a piece of carrot and I successfully did the Heimlich on him. I have zero other emergency preparedness skills but I’m glad I had that one that day!
Kristy Marion 5 months ago
Is Heimlich still taught as the first option? I have to do recurrent First Aid training and we teach short sharp back blows in Australia. Of course, in a matter of life or death do whatever it takes, but I'm just curious
#19
Not quite life saving, but it sure felt like it at the time:
I didn’t realize I had heat exhaustion and got on a roller coaster. When my vision started going gray at the edges I remembered the Mythbusters Blue Angels episode where they talk about the full-body-muscle-clench thing they have pilots do to counteract the G forces pulling blood away from your brain. I did those clenches for the rest of the ride and managed to avoid passing out, got off the ride and toddled off to a sheltered area to drink some water and cool off.
Lessons about my heat tolerance were learned that day, but the pre-existing lesson about Hook Maneuvers meant I got to learn them while conscious and in private instead of from an impatient EMT after they revived me.
#20
Electrical fire smells like fish. Caught it before a fire even started.
Stygtand 5 months ago
I think it varies. Electrical fired will usally smell of burned plastic which can be very stingy in the nose. Rhis is because the most common insulator is plastic with some fire supressing qualities . Some countries use metal boxes which is my experience gives of an ozone / metal like smell. This will also appear due to the metal wires arcing and melting.
#21
If you're tired, pull over.
I've almost died a couple times on highways for various reasons (inclement weather, accidents caused by other drivers, wildlife, getting into a vehicle with someone who shouldn't have been driving) but only once for nearly falling asleep.
You feel drowsy, get off the road. It's as simple as that.
troufaki13 5 months ago
The ego of some people is very dangerous. Yes, you are THAT tired, THAT sleepy, THAT drunk and you can't drive. Either call a cab or pull over. Just don't drive, for your sake and others'.
#22
If you're under water, struggling and disoriented, blow bubbles to know which way to swim.
I inhaled water coming out of a big water slide that dropped me from height into water. The water from the slide pouring down directly on me was creating a current, I was stuck and don't know which way was up. I'm a fairly strong swimmer but panicked. I blew some bubbles and was able to work out which way to swim, just about dragged myself out of the pool on time, and coughed my guts up whilst the lifeguard carried on staring into space in the other direction 😮💨
Edit: I think the original advice I was thinking of was to spit when buried in an avalanche to know which way is down.
#23
Wear seatbelts.
I did and the t-bone accident was on my side.
My brother didn’t, and he died that day.
GalPalAl 5 months ago
And always strap in animals you are driving with. They need protection too. Better in a specialty car seat or carrier made for pets. Had a car accident while transporting a cat to the vet. Carrier was belted but flew off the seat and hit the floor. Luckily she was only spooked and not hurt because of the crash. Car was totalled
#24
Always a pack a map and compass.
Yes, you have GPS. Yes, you can download a map. Yes, you even have a charger to make sure your equipment stays charged throughout the hike. None of that is a guarantee.
Always pack a map and compass.
#25
Used to work in the fire service. Maybe not a glamorous tip, but a lot of people were saved by bystanders knowing basic first aid and CPR. In a rural place, we're were arriving to a scene 30+ minutes after the stopped breathing. 30 minutes without new oxygen or circulation makes massive difference in survival odds. And for traumatic injuries, making an attempt to manage blood loss is always better than nothing.
#26
If you think something isnt normal in your body. Listen to it. Your body WILL tell you if something isnt right.
Literally saved my life from a major brain stroke. Started having the worst headache of my life except it wasnt like the rest. So i got up somehow and managed to get my dad in time. Snd today now i can continue to live judy because i listened to my body when it told me something.
Upstaged75 5 months ago
Or be stupid like me and ignore the pain and shortness of breath for 3 days - then end up in the ICU with a drain in your chest. I had a massive pericardial effusion - fluid around my heart. Lesson learned!
#27
It wasn’t quite life or death but I had a fire start on the stove top most likely from spilled oil or other food stuffs and I remembered some insurance commercial that said to use baking soda to put out small grease fires and was able to get it out before it became too big.
Reemerger 5 months ago
As a kid I was starting on of my parents' gas stoves and waited too long to light the gas. In that short moment the gas seeped into my flannel pajama top's arm. When I lit the stove I also lit the gas in the in the fabric, which was unexpected by this ~10-year-old. I swatted/snuffed it out and learned my lesson: start the gas, light the gas right away - no dilli-dallying... and get off my lawn, punk!!!
#28
Hypothermia. Heat the person up with body heat NOT hot water. Also warm socks and a hat. I also improvised some warm heating pads with towels in trash bags soaked in warm water. Spent an entire night saving someone's life, guy doesn't remember it because hypothermia can affect your memory.
Cecilie Hammershøy 5 months ago
And if your in danger of getting hypothermia and you suddenly feel very varm, don't take of your clothes. When you suddenly feel varm in a cold place, you're probably close to dying of hypothermia.
#29
When a child/person is having a seizure, get them on thr floor and on their side and do nothing until paramedics arrive.
My wife saved a seizing 4 year old from her mother who was flinging her around like a ragdoll screaming for help.
#31
If the fire alarm goes off. Grab your pet and get out of the building. Saved me and my wife’s lives this past Monday.
Colleen Ludgate 5 months ago
People seriously ignore these? It's an alarm. It makes noise for a reason! 😆
#32
If you are sick, injured, or just gone through a medical event. If you get that feeling of impending doom or something just doesn't feel right, do NOT ignore it!
I had this happen to me after I just had my second baby. I was brushed off by the nurses but the doom feeling didn't go away and I could feel myself bleeding too much. I physically felt weaker and cold, I looked at my husband and told him I was going to die.
I ended up coding shortly after because I had severe postpartum hemorrhaging that they missed. They brought me back but I had to undergo several blood transfusions, be put on medicine for the bleeding, and have the bleeding/clots passed closely monitored.
#33
I don’t know if this actually saved my life, but somebody hit me on the highway while I was driving with cruise control on 75 mph on a 70 mph highway (hit on my left passenger side) and my car spun out across two lanes of traffic and spun in full two circles (I believe). The entire time it was happening I stared right at my steering wheel with my dads voice in my head saying, “ease into the turn, do not over correct or try to go the other way”. So with my death grip on the steering wheel I slowly went with the motion of the car and we didn’t flip over or anything. It was TERRIFYING. I remember at some point seeing my dog in midair in the backseat (she had a seatbelt leash, THANK GOD). Totaled my vehicle yet the man who hit me somehow was able to somehow stay on the road and got away with it.
Mel in Georgia 5 months ago
This works on ice as well. Turning into the spin will help straighten you out.
#34
Pay attention to your gut and other animals if you are out and about
If you are walking in the woods or swimming and suddenly it is very quiet and there is no signs of any animals when there was before something very bad is about to happen either there to you or to the area that you are immediately in
When the world goes silent all of a sudden you need to listen and find out why
Along those lines if something feels off and your stomach is doing knots and your body is telling you that you are about to put yourself in serious harm or danger you need to listen
It is much better to just say no, and to be thought of as a coward than to die for doing something stupid when every muscle in your body already told you not to do it.
Judy Reynolds 5 months ago
Just like having kids - if there is silence, you need to check it out!
#35
Stay calm. One time, I stupidly decided to go for a hike later in the day and ended up breaking my phone, no flashlight. It got pitch black in the forest really fast, and I got completely lost off the trail. I felt myself starting to panic, so I sat down for a few minutes, collected myself, and finally ended back on the main trail and back to my car.
If I had panicked, I'd probably would have spent all my energy hiking in the wrong direction and broken an ankle in my madness. The main thing in any emergency is to do everything you can to keep yourself calm.
Peeka_Mimi 5 months ago
As an experienced hiker in the Colorado Mountains, never get caught in tree cover after dark. Also always bring some basic survival gear like a flashlight with extra batteries.
#36
Buddy of mine was put into a coma when he was in the ‘chicken’ lane trying to turn left. Had his wheels already turned in anticipation for his window when a car slammed into his rear end lunging his car forward and turned into oncoming traffic resulting in a head-on collision with a car going 45mph.
I took his trial as a cautionary tail and always kept my wheels straight when waiting for my turn in a chicken lane. Couple of years ago I got rear ended in the exact same manner as he did but I was able to come to a safe stop in the same lane just a few yards forward and didn’t have a collision. His near-death experience saved my life and I still think about him everytime I’m waiting to turn.
Sarah Suelzle 5 months ago
I assume this is talking about the left-turn lane? I've never heard it called that. Why is it called the chicken lane? LOL
#37
Not really a survival tip but "Do NOT swerve for deer in the road".
I was coming home from college late one Friday (like 1AM) on a road bordering a state park. As I'm tooling along a deer jumps out in front of me, I hit the brakes but still hit the deer which goes tumbling off into the dark. I limp up to the next point I could pull off and look, no real damage just a dent in the hood and some blood. Come Sunday, I'm heading back to school along the same route in daylight and get to the spot I hit the deer and realize that the road is running along a ridgeline with slopes going down about 75 feet on each side. So if I had swerved for the deer and gone off the road there's a non-zero chance I'd have been down that bank and invisible from the road if I was incapacitated. Moral of the story, don't swerve for deer/animals that weigh less than your car.
LookASquirrel 5 months ago
If there's a deer, there are more! Slam on the brakes, don't swerve, pull over when it's safe and wait for the rest! And it doesn't have to be in the country. We were 1/4 mile from our city home going approximately 30mph (.5 km and 48kph for those that can't math) when traffic abruptly stopped. Deer went by. My husband started back up like everyone else while I closed my eyes and screamed stop! He finally did, the last deer in a line of about 5 did not and literally ran over our windshield shattering it, leaving bits of fur and blood. A couple other cars got hit too. Deer all ran off behind the houses and the glass company came out the next day. I cried, poor deer. And in Ohio, USA you don't have to report hitting it but if it's dead you can take it, have it dressed and eat it. Bears too. Actually any road k**l. I have some hillbillies in my family.
#38
I was told if you had a cramp in your leg accompanied by redness its a life threatening blood clot and to get emergency help immediately.
My friend had been complaining for two days about a cramp in his leg so I made him pull up the leg of his jeans and his skin was bright red. I tried not to panic as I told him he needed immediate help. I was visiting and set to catch a train in 30 minutes so he promised he'd go in.
He did not go in but he called NHS and they were like "do not move. Do not panic. Keep your heart rate calm. We're sending someone right away." And it was then he realized I wasn't kidding. He made it in and apparently it was REALLY bad and if he'd waited any longer, it would've dislodged and he wouldve died. The doctor told him I'd saved his life. He reminds me of that from time to time too. I'm so glad I knew what the signs of a clot were.
#39
My stepdad thought he was having a heart attack and chewed an aspirin. Turns out he was right and the doctors said it likely was the reason he lived.
#40
Saw a news article about What 3 Words and thought it sounded really useful so told my kids to make sure they had the app on their phones in case they ever needed me to pick them up and they didn't know where they were. Fell over and broke my ankle and had to use it to help the ambulance located me. Rang my daughter to let her know what was going on and the first thing she said was "What's your 3 Words?" - not exactly saved my life but certainly saved time when I was sat in the snow waiting for help.
#41
The most dangerous thing I usually do is drive. These tips are about 63% of my driving knowledge and I do pretty good:
-Don’t pass if it’s a double yellow, but especially don’t pass another car going over a hill or around a curve.
-Look before you change lanes.
-If your car engine is over-heating, turn the heat on full blast (maybe just older cars 🤷♂️ saved my a*s in a traffic jam outside Nashville coming back from spring break in ‘01).
-Assume every container in the road is filled with nails (as in try not to run it over).
-Brake. Don’t swerve. Unless you *need* to swerve, then do what you gotta do.
#42
Always wear shoes you can run in.
Royal Stray 5 months ago
This. If you want to wear heals make sure you can run in them, because if someone is coming after you you won't be able to get away barefoot, especially not in a city. (If you don't have very hard feet it will hurt too much to run for long.) Also if you do need to get away your clothes aren't more important than your life. If your dress is stuck, rip it apart, if someone grabs your jacket, let it go. Yes it'll suck. But it'll suck more if you don't
#43
Give up everything without hesitation, was the lesson, when I was robbed at gun point...as the robber turned he fired the pistol out of panic - could've been at me.
Uncle Panda 5 months ago
There's nothing you can carry that's worth your life. Yes, even your smartphone.
#44
Always wear wool (and never cotton) next to skin then hiking somewhere cold and/or wet. Wool has saved me from hypothermia on many occations.
Marianne 5 months ago
Wool is helpful in so many ways, especially merino! I wear nothing else next to my skin if possible. It keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the heat. It is super breathable and dries your sweat in no time. It's also antibacterial, which means that you can wear it for a long time without body odor.
#45
Wearing a life vest in any open body of water. I am a good swimmer, but I am so glad that I wore a life vest when white water rafting. The water is so cold, when you are thrown in, you go into shock. I couldn't even breathe for a few seconds, let alone swim to the surface on my own.
geezeronthehill 5 months ago
Did the guides teach you how to swim in whitewater? Feet downstream.
#46
Got caught in a snowstorm while hiking. I remembered a tip: “Don’t wander stay put and stay warm.”
I made a small shelter and waited. Hours later, rescue found me. If I’d kept walking, I probably wouldn’t be here. That tip legit saved my life.
Peeka_Mimi 5 months ago
I have taught my grandkids to always carry a whistle on hikes. If they get lost stay still and blow that whistle to kingdom come. We will find you.
#47
Get your skin checked (especially if you're in Australia). Just had a rapidly growing melanoma cut out that thankfully hadn't invaded deeper.
#48
Spend it while you have it. Yes, cutting down firewood, building a shelter, constructing a fish trap, etc. will take energy, which you're instinctively trying to preserve. But worst case scenario, in a few days you're not going to have energy anyways, and you're way better off with some previously made investments.
#49
If you are swimming in the sea and you are in danger or drowning or a current is taking you away, DON'T PANIC.
Look for the best way to swim in to safety. Don't waste your energy. Adrenaline will help, but you need to dose your strength and keep swimming, even if you think it's a lost cause.
It saved my life in the Atlantic sea.
#50
Drive as if your own child could run out from behind of every obstacle alongside the road. Because one day, someone will.
And when braking, hit it hard right away, full brake. Braking gently, slowly, or gradually costs you meters you don’t have. Try this somewhere safe to develop the reflex.
Modern cars are built to be mostly controllable under full braking, so you won’t improve controllability by braking too slowly.
Sources: own experience, racing instructor.
Chocolate llama 5 months ago
That is actually actively practiced as part of obtaining a driver's license here in Germany. When practicing, you accelerate to 40km/h and then do a full-force brake. I'm glad we do that practice. I had to do it in the real world when a deer was running across the road in front of me. Being prepared to full brake and knowing what it feels like does help (and it also keeps you from even thinking about swerving)
#51
Knowing how to tie knots literally saved my life.
Know how to tie a munter hitch and carry a climbing caribeaner while backpacking.
I was camping in winter, slipped on some ice and slid several meters on an ice sheet. all the way to the side of a cliff. My pack caught on a root or something with my legs over the edge.
The way back up was sheer ice and not possible to go up as I didn't have crampons accessible to climb an ice sheet, even if I was in a position to turn around and get oriented to go up. There was no choice but down.
The fall would have only been about 6m, while the impact wouldn't have killed me. The broken bones would have made it impossible to self rescue. I had no cell service here, and no one was expecting to hear from me for about 3 days. It would be been likely that someone would find my frozen corpse several weeks later.
I had rope for my hammock accessible to me. I tied a bowline knot on a rock I could reach. Used the caribeaner on my belt and a belt loop. Tied a mumter hitch to the b****r. Slowly got my arms out of the pack while I weighted the rope. I managed to turn myself around, and free my pack while now over the side of the cliff fully. I threw my pack to the ground below, and repelled down. My rope was only 5m. So there was still a drop at the bottom but only about 1.5m rather than around 6. I managed to get down uninjured. After having a pseudo panic attack and having the adrenaline dump from survival. I then found a spot to climb up safely and rescue my rope.
Keeping calm, and thinking through the problem while having the skills of knots saved my life.
Knots to master incase you need them in an emergency. Bowline, clove hitch, figure 8 and munter.
#52
Not with a human, but it's the best I've got. I carry around a packet of raisins as "bee-savers" for poorly bees, and have saved quite a few lives now!
Judy Reynolds 5 months ago
How do you tell if a bee is poorly? And make sure your dog can't get at the raisins - that just cost me $1500. No, they don't know what about raisins and grapes unalives dogs.
#53
CPR is a big one, don't just try to guess where their heart will be, to be sure where it is you can move your hands up the side of their body, when you hit their armpit move to the centre.
CPR is hard as s**t to do and if you're doing it the survival chances are low, so don't be too hard on yourself if they don't survive.
I'm trained in how to do CPR and have done it a good few times now and haven't had anyone survive yet, the most recent was a car crash where the guy passed out at the wheel about 20 seconds before I got there, we had ambulance there within 10 minutes and a defibrillator there within 2 minutes, it was what I'd describe as the perfect scenario outside of a hospital environment and the guy still didn't make it.
Don't be a hero when doing CPR, don't ask people to do things, direct them, shout at them if you have to, "PERSON A RING AMBULANCE, PERSON B WATCH WHAT I'M DOING AND TAKE OVER WHEN I TELL YOU TO".
Don't do it for more than a minute or so if other people are there to take over from you, you can take turns between you all.
The worst case scenario in that situation is that they die which they're already in the process of doing anyway, the guy I mentioned above (the last person I did it on) only had injuries caused by me breaking his ribs, he had no other injuries and dropped down dead.
Aileen Grist 5 months ago (edited)
I did a coursse recently and found that as I can't kneel down I hadn't got the power behind my arms to do it. The instructor then told me to use my heel - lean on somebody and use your foot with the heel over the heart and press down good and hard. We were also told that you can't be sued (UK) as the person is actually dead - their heart has stopped.
#54
I saved a baby's life once. He stuffed cotton from a broken pillow into his mouth. He coughed twice and it was muffled so I checked on him and his face was purple and he was no longer coughing or making any sound. So I flipped him over and pounded on his back then started grabbing cotton and pulling it out. He ended up vomiting everywhere before I could clear it but it was enough and he vomited the rest out. I was only 20 and he was 8 months. I loved that family but quit just weeks later.
His mom kept placing the ripped pillow back within reach even after I told her he nearly died. And she was a freaking nurse. So to avoid watching a child die I left. Still in touch with them today.
#55
My cousin and I were kidnapped by two guys and they drove us up a mountain. When we realized that they were kidnapping us instead of taking us home, I whispered to my cousin that I will get out of the car on her side then we run. Finally up the mountain they pulled into a house and I got out on her side and yelled run. We ran out a*ses off. The guys started yelling and they got back into the car started after us but I told her to run into the woods. this was at night so we ran about 10 feet into the woods as stopped and froze. They had their windows down, driving really slow trying to get us to come back. We were only 15. We ended up walking all the way home having to run back into the woods when we heard their car. Finally they gave up.
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 5 months ago
Where's the survival tip? Don't be an idiot and get into a stranger/s car?
#56
Start doing the survival skills before you're in a survival situation - have been in several situations where things started turning bad and it is critically important that you do things like keep dry, stay warm enough, not get too far out, etc -before- it becomes lifesaving to do so.
BookFanatic 5 months ago
This is going to sound weird. But when I'm bored I'll pick an emergency scenario and imagine what I would do in such a case. It actually paid off once--a guy fell down our concrete steps and lost a tooth. I immediately knew what to do because I'd thought it through a few weeks ago.
#57
My dad taught me how to drive on ice. Knowing how to counter steer and not panic definitely saved me when I spun out on ice next to a huge drop off.
Apatheist Account2 5 months ago
I would advise learning to drive in the winter, not in the summer when you've just finished school. I was taught by an instructor how to drive safely on snow and ice, in the rain and in the dark. After that, driving on clear roads in daylight is much easier.
#58
Moss grows on north-northwest-west sides of trees. Doesn’t seem like much until you need to decide which way to hike to safety lost in a national forest for 4 days.
Another Panda 5 months ago
This has been proven incorrect. It may grow consistently in some circumstances, but it grows on any part of the trunk - in any direction. https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/myth-buster-moss-doesnt-grow-north-side/
What do you think ?
QuincyForrest 5 months ago
This is the knife that saved my life. I was trapped in my big rig truck, upside down after a wreck, and although I was not severely injured I couldn't get out because my seat belt was holding on to my ankles; I told you I was upside down. A passerby good samaritan helped me, I took my knife out of my pocket and handed it to her and she cut my seat belt. I wiggled out and away from the truck. Ten minutes later my truck caught fire and burned entirely. DSCN6953-6...16f6ac.jpg 
LakotaWolf (she/her) 5 months ago
Lovely knife - I'd keep that one forever, were I you :) I have a pocketknife that I always keep clipped to the pocket of my pants (a beautiful chroma Sarge flip-knife) but I also have a much larger "car knife" that I keep in my van - a 10" fixed-blade Gerber. Hopefully, if I am ever in a similar situation, I'll be able to reach one of them!
Load More Replies...
TheElderNom 5 months ago
If you see someone act oddly on or near train tracks call your emergency number like 112 or 911. Even if they aren't trying to commit s*****e they might still be run over. Trains are silent and take forever to come to a full stop. If you feel safe doing so it might be an idea to talk to the person. I've worked with trains for almost 15 years now, mostly as a train driver. I know for certain that I've stopped one s*****e attempt by calling and stopping the traffic. But if I hadn't been there I really hope someone else would have called.
Alyce 5 months ago
Trains are silent? Where do you live? Had one that ran right behind my house and you could hear/feel it way before you saw it.
Load More Replies...
Miss Ann Thrope 5 months ago
Carbon Monoxide Detector. I had CO poisoning. Would never had known if I hadn't called my sister and she said she smelled gas. Had I ignored the symptoms, I'd be dead.
Bob Brooce 5 months ago
I just wanted to share this stellar example of the amazing web development skills of the fine folks at BP. Fortunately it only lasted a short while until a different ad popped up. untitled-6...459ec2.jpg 
QuincyForrest 5 months ago
This is the knife that saved my life. I was trapped in my big rig truck, upside down after a wreck, and although I was not severely injured I couldn't get out because my seat belt was holding on to my ankles; I told you I was upside down. A passerby good samaritan helped me, I took my knife out of my pocket and handed it to her and she cut my seat belt. I wiggled out and away from the truck. Ten minutes later my truck caught fire and burned entirely. DSCN6953-6...16f6ac.jpg
LakotaWolf (she/her) 5 months ago
Lovely knife - I'd keep that one forever, were I you :) I have a pocketknife that I always keep clipped to the pocket of my pants (a beautiful chroma Sarge flip-knife) but I also have a much larger "car knife" that I keep in my van - a 10" fixed-blade Gerber. Hopefully, if I am ever in a similar situation, I'll be able to reach one of them!
Load More Replies... TheElderNom 5 months ago
If you see someone act oddly on or near train tracks call your emergency number like 112 or 911. Even if they aren't trying to commit s*****e they might still be run over. Trains are silent and take forever to come to a full stop. If you feel safe doing so it might be an idea to talk to the person. I've worked with trains for almost 15 years now, mostly as a train driver. I know for certain that I've stopped one s*****e attempt by calling and stopping the traffic. But if I hadn't been there I really hope someone else would have called.
Alyce 5 months ago
Trains are silent? Where do you live? Had one that ran right behind my house and you could hear/feel it way before you saw it.
Load More Replies... Miss Ann Thrope 5 months ago
Carbon Monoxide Detector. I had CO poisoning. Would never had known if I hadn't called my sister and she said she smelled gas. Had I ignored the symptoms, I'd be dead.
Bob Brooce 5 months ago
I just wanted to share this stellar example of the amazing web development skills of the fine folks at BP. Fortunately it only lasted a short while until a different ad popped up. untitled-6...459ec2.jpg
You May Like 50 Safety Tips To Help Steer Clear Of Dangerous Situations 34 Pilots Share The Scariest Moments They Survived While Passengers Stayed Blissfully Unaware “I Can’t Believe Other People Don’t Do This”: 43 People Share Their Best Life Hacks
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Mantas Kačerauskas
Jonas Žvilius
Related on Bored Panda
