Let’s not beat around the bush—living is a dangerous thing, no matter what you do. Accidents can and do happen. On the road. In the kitchen. At work. You have to be aware of the biggest risks you might face in your day-to-day life, so you can avoid most of them. Knowledge and practice are powerful and they help you remain calm in case there’s an emergency. It also means you’re not living in panic and paranoia, afraid to take a single step outside your home.
However, not all risks are immediately obvious. Some of them are quite subtle and insidious. Redditor u/figinjosejospe sparked an informative discussion on r/AskReddit after they asked internet users to share the seemingly harmless things and behaviors that are “actually incredibly dangerous.” Read on to see what they had to share. It’s a learning opportunity, as well as a chance to refresh what you might already know.
#1
Tired driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving.
Pushing someone's face into a cake, even relatively lightly.
Some cakes have skewers inside to support them. A seemingly harmless prank could lead to being impaled, approach it from just the wrong angle and it's bye bye eyes.
Having a loose animal in the car. A safety instructor once told me doctors had to dig dog bones out of a person after it got between them and an airbag.
Water on the roadway, way too many people don’t understand that it does not take that much water to turn your situation into life or death.
For kids, someone online with a sympathetic ear for their problems. Responsible adults will try to put you in touch with real-life help, not encourage a pattern of reliance and inappropriate intimacy. Bonus danger points on anyone who throws down "You're really mature for your age." Predators online work just like real-life hunting predators; their first goal is to separate you from your herd.
Putting your feet on car dashboard.
Kids picking flowers in the park. I am a conservation Technician for a county park system, at least once a year I have to stop parents with kids picking flowers off the trail because I see kids with either poison hemlock (one of the deadliest plants if injesting even a tiny amount) or wild parsnip, which can cause some serious permanent scarring, burns, and boils if the sap gets on to your skin and is exposed to sunlight. Don't let your kids pick or eat anything you aren't 100% sure of.
Pool covers. It's like being wrapped in a bedsheet underwater. You cannot get free and you cannot scream for help. Once you're in the only way to get out is to be incredibly lucky and get free or have faith that someone saw or heard you fall in and hope that they get you in time.
It's a lengthy, terrifying, death that's completely avoidable.
Not getting enough sleep
Moose
Getting into a car is one of the riskiest things we do on a daily basis.
Bison. Just go to Yellowstone, grab some popcorn, find a tourist route and watch. You'll see.
A patch of calm, smooth ocean between sections that look rough.
Playing with a blue ringed octopus.
Colorful and pretty wildlife you’re unfamiliar with.
If you wouldn’t eat a berry you’re unfamiliar with, why would you pick up an animal you’re unfamiliar with?
Coconuts. You are 20X more likely to get killed by a falling coconut than a shark!
Garage springs and hippos
The home. 100% of household accidents happen in or around the home.
Stairs. my serious answer is stairs. I've fallen down a lot of them in my day and can confirm they are dangerous.
Oil painting in a closed studio
Not boiling dried kidney beans long enough.
