Danger lurks practically everywhere you go. Even at home, a freaky sequence of events might leave you scarred for life or even worse, helplessly hoping you respawn in 10 seconds. But, as they say, knowledge is power (unless you’re on the wrong side of the internet, then there’s just a lot of useless power) and keeping some things in mind might just increase your chances of survival in our crazy world.
Folks on Reddit have been discussing some of the more subtle dangers in life to keep an eye out for. Specifically, in this AskReddit question where folks listed really dangerous things most people don’t realize are dangerous.
You know what to do now.
More Info: Reddit
#1
beaceebee said:
Pregnancy.
Iamthetophergopher replied:
My wife is a medical professional, our pregnancy was planned, we were educated on the process and what the risks were and what to expect.
Holy s#$t. Between the scans, the tests, placenta previa, a false water break a month too early, a preeclampsia diagnosis and early admittance into the hospital, a heart arrhythmia for mom and poop in the womb for baby, a long and dangerous labor bordering on a C section, and then a whisked away baby to clear his airway… The entire process is an absolutely traumatic horror show. Then they give you your baby and walk you out the door 36 hours later to raise it for the rest of your life.
Image source: beaceebee, Pavel Danilyuk
#2
Bleach. Mix with ammonia? Basically mustard gas (you died). Mix with alcohol? Chloroform (you can pass out and have organ failure). Mix with vinegar? Chlorine gas (you died).
Bonus: Mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar? Peracetic acid (your lungs bleed).
To clarify: DO NOT CLEAN PEE WITH BLEACH. (Pee has ammonia)
Edit: I’m so glad to read this has helped some people not gas themselves, hurray! Have fun and stay safe out there!
Edit 2: not technically mustard gas, but chloramine. Still just as nasty.
Image source: timotheySKI, Nothing Ahead
#3
Being alive. 100% of the time it ends with death.
Image source: Orillion_169, Lisa Fotios
#4
Noise canceling headphones while walking in cities. You need to be able to hear your surroundings to react properly, can easily walk into traffic or get swiped by a bike if you’re tuning out the world. The newest AirPod commercial shows a woman walking through an empty city intersection with her headphones in, then shows all the chaos return when she takes one out…not safe, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings in dense areas
Image source: OGpizza, JÉSHOOTS
#5
Driving while tired. It can be just as dangerous as driving while drunk, but many people do it without thinking twice.
For context, 20 hours awake impairs you as much as .08% BAC, which counts as DUI in many states.
#6
Hekatevenstar said:
Putting your feet on the dashboard. It is extremely dangerous.
onekrazykat replied:
My physics teacher in high school had a lengthy and graphic description of exactly what occurs when you are in an accident with your feet on the dash. Absolutely horrifying.
Image source: Hekatevenstar, eitan bar
#7
Kic21 said:
Lack of exercise. I’m all for being comfortable in your own skin, but obesity is a huge killer.
purpleelephant77 replied:
And it’s not all or nothing. If you start eating better and taking walks and lose 25 pounds, even if you’re still overweight you’ve almost certainly still improved your health and quality of life in a meaningful way.
HungerMadra replied:
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. Took me a while to understand first time I heard this one, but the point is, just because you aren’t up for a 10k sprint today doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for an easy jog or even a walk. Something is better than nothing
Image source: Kic21, Tembela Bohle
#8
Tailgating at 70mph.
A tailgater will dramatically increase the risk of an accident versus being patient and sharing the road with others.
100% of accidents are when 2 objects want to occupy the same space. and the logic of getting closer to the object in front of you at relatively high speed seems illogical to me.
Image source: i_would_have, Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine
#9
Eating grapefruit while on medication.
Grapefruit has so many bad interactions with medication ranging from rendering the medication ineffective, to toxicity.
Image source: crankyweasels, cottonbro studio
#10
Chiropractors-
I was born with quite severe scoliosis. It was cheaper to go to a Chiropractor than an actual doctor growing up. This has resulted in significant damage to my back. When I finally got in to see a spinal specialist, he mentioned that upwards of 45% of his long term patients were there because of Chiropractors. He told me after reviewing years of my x-rays that the adjustments I was receiving actually made my spine worse than if I were to have not done anything.
It is also pretty common for Chiropractors to break bones. There were a few people that went to my doctor that were paralyzed by a Chiropractor. When I was 16 a Chiropractor did an adjustment that caused one of the disc’s in my spine to rupture. I also had my hip dislocated at one point.
So yeah. Chiropractors are not real doctors, and can cause a lot of harm.
Image source: bubblegumx2inadish, Karolina Grabowska
#11
As a chef, it’s food. I’ve seen people who cook at home with some very dangerous cooking habits. Everything from not washing hands after handling raw meat (its all raw proteins, people, not just chicken) to not cooling leftovers properly and even proper storing procedures. Spoiler alert: don’t store raw chicken above the salad you plan to serve with it. Those juices can drip down and contaminate everything. Personally I think everyone needs to take a class on proper food handling for their safety and everyone’s safety for whom they plan on cooking.
Image source: disingenuousrobot, Jane Doan
#12
vsgdywkndv said:
“Unloaded” gun.
IndyCooper98 replied:
It’s a valuable lesson to learn that a Gun is always loaded. Even if you know it isn’t.
One negligent discharge can ruin lives. Don’t even take the chance to make that mistake.
GTOdriver04
This part. I don’t care if I just watched you check and clear that thing. I’m still checking and clearing it once it gets into my hands.
Then, I’ll load it and shoot, then check and clear an again before I hand it to a friend or set it down. Then, the next person had better check and clear it once they pick it up or else I’m going to be angry.
Check and clear. If you just checked and cleared, but forgot whether it was empty or not…check and clear again.
You can check and clear a gun a million times safely. But it only takes once time to forget it and ruin lives.
Image source: vsgdywkndv, Nelson Pavlosky
#13
Based on my experience lately on the road, merging without looking or using your blinkers. I was literally almost pushed off the road recently, some asshat decided to merge onto my lane without even a glance. Would’ve rammed right into the side of my car if I hadn’t honked a f**k ton. Seriously people. Don’t just look at the mirror. SEE IF THERES A CAR RIGHT NEXT TO YOU before merging. Christ.
Image source: Spectronautic1, Mathias Reding
#14
darkpaladin said:
A few inches of moving water over a roadway.
gsfgf replied:
And while a few inches is usually fine, you can’t be sure it’s actually a few inches. A road can be completely washed out and look like a relatively minor flood.
Fun story: when my dad was younger one of his uncles told him never to drive into water a mule wouldn’t cross. A few years later he was trying to decide whether to cross a flooded road and remembered that conversation. He saw the next day that the road had completely washed out. He told his uncle about it, and apparently his uncle was drunk and didn’t even remember saying it lol.
Image source: darkpaladin, HKMAA
#15
TheLastMongo said:
Not having enough Sodium. There’s always warnings about too much salt, but apparently if you don’t have enough it can throw your body totally out of whack. Learned this after passing out and ending up in the ER.
Cardinal338 replied:
Yep, one of its most important functions,along with potassium, is maintaining electrical potential across nerve cell membranes. Without that your nerves won’t work.
Image source: TheLastMongo, Quang Nguyen Vinh
#16
This is super vague but I think a lot of people often underestimate the dangers of water. Like the power of a river or sea current, water on the road, slipping in the shower, etc
Image source: mxmccc, Jess Loiterton
#17
megasean3000 said:
Not getting enough sleep.
widerthanamile replied:
Getting enough sleep every night is seriously life changing. A surprising amount of physical/mental issues I had for years suddenly disappeared after I started taking my sleep seriously.
Image source: megasean3000, Ivan Oboleninov
#18
Driving fast in the snow/ice when you have a vehicle with AWD/4WD. It won’t help much when you try to stop suddenly.
Image source: AccioStardust
#19
A lot of people end up with liver failure from overusing Tylenol. Its not harmless, don’t treat it like skittles.
Image source: YesHAHAHAYES99, frankieleon
#20
Cutting food with dull knives. A lot of people are scared of cutting themselves with knives, which is valid; however they don’t realize that you’re more likely with a dull knife. A sharp knife will slice right through a tomato, but with a dull knife you have to really push. If you push too hard, it can slip and then you’re gonna have a bad time.
Image source: Tribalbob
#21
Ever since I did WHMIS training, I’ve gotten extremely paranoid around reading chemical safety labels. The training showed a foreign worker essentially making chlorine gas by accident in a dry cleaners and almost killing everyone in the building (and actually killing herself). Everyone who was exposed had permanent damage.
There was a welder who didn’t realize the chemical his work gave him had fumes that would burn off his eyes and face after just one use without face and eye protection. It costed him his marriage and his entire future. In the video he said he didn’t even blame her as there was no hope for him and he didn’t want to burden his then young wife with having to look after someone completely broken.
And I think there was a driveway sealant part-timer who was a high schooler or something. They didn’t give him any safety gear and he got cancer applying the sealant like how they told him to do it
I don’t think I ever watched such horrific true events presented in such a dry and boring manner. And they kept interviewing the people about how their life was after the fact and what could have been done differently and it was just scarring.
It’s such a simple thing to just trust your job to check chemical safety for you but goddamn, if they didn’t you can be royally f****d. I can’t imagine just opening a barrel of something my boss told me to open and literally having my corneas burned out of my face. I also switched out many of my cleaners and detergents in my home to safer options wherever I could. Even something like ice melt I check to see for warning and safety labels.
#22
IThinkMyLegsAreBroke said:
Brazlian butt lifts. One of the most dangerous cosmetic surgeries.
LiehTzu replied:
Please elaborate.
IThinkMyLegsAreBroke replied:
“There are major blood vessels, deep in the musculature of the area, and if injecting and trying to really enhance the area, often times the injection can go too deep and violate the veins.”
The result could be fat or fillers entering the bloodstream and then the circulatory system — potentially causing a lethal pulmonary embolism.”
Image source: IThinkMyLegsAreBroke, Presidencia de la República Mexicana
#23
Walking up or down the stairs, the most common accident at home is falling down the stairs.
Image source: Elementus94, HeatherLWilliams
#24
Skwerilleee said:
Garage door springs.
GlassCondensation replied:
Ours broke one night and it sounded like a damn 12 gauge going off. Can confirm, do not go anywhere near those things.
spicyplantleaf replied:
When ours broke it sounded like a car crashing into the garage.
VAGINA_EMPEROR replied:
I was in bed when mine broke, which is basically right over my garage door. Shook the bed like a small earthquake.
Image source: Skwerilleee, Warren LeMay
#25
Electricity. You can’t see it until it’s too late. Harmless wires dangling around will put you into the ground. Even if it looks “good,” it can be done wrong and start a fire. Source: am an Electrician
Image source: EpicNagger, Andre Moura
#26
NBA-014 said:
Driving distracted.
FerDefer replied:
I’ll never understand why regulators have started allowing massive screens the size of tablets in the centre console.
epicenter69 replied:
Simple. Custom-sized screen with radio, AC and other car functions = nearly impossible to replace it with anything aftermarket. You’re stuck with their highly overpriced factory parts for the life of the car.
Image source: NBA-014, cottonbro studio
#27
Falling down. I know there are jokes about the whole “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” But it’s a real danger. As we get older, our bones lose density and strength, so falling can actually cause legitimate injuries.
And even if you’re not old, unprotected falls are still dangerous. Street fights where people get knocked out and fall onto concrete is super dangerous. It doesn’t take a lot of height to cause serious damage when falling and hitting your head.
#28
llcucf80 said:
Overworking yourself.
anupsetzombie replied:
I had a coworker at my last job who just didn’t have an off button and definitely didn’t know how to say no to people in charge. He was always agreeing to overtime (working from 7AM to 8 PM 6 days a week) and doing stuff out of the job description, like repairing for refurbished products and driving trucks to help move product around. Despite the job supposed to be just being an in-warehouse packaging and shipping type job. Didn’t get paid any higher than he was previously making too, though the overtime and double-time pay probably did add up real quick.
Hardest working guy I’ve ever met, but deep down I kind of feel bad for him. He told me he had to quit his last job as a UPS loader/unloader because his doctors told him he was literally killing himself with all the overtime he was taking. Said he weighed like 90 lbs (He’s around 5’10”) and basically lived to work and sleep at the point.
It’s gotta be some sort of undiagnosed OCD or something when it hits that level. He’s an awesome dude but some people don’t know how to let themselves relax, it’s sad.
Image source: llcucf80, Tara Winstead
#29
If you need someone’s attention while they’re using heavy equipment, in a nonemergency situation, let them finish before getting their attention.
I work as a meat cutter. When I’m cutting something on the band saw, I have my back turned to the counter. Lot of customer expect to get service immediately as soon as they walk up to the counter.
So I’m cutting something and they immediately make a loud noise to get my attention. Like picking up a metal sign post and banging it in the floor or slamming the counter. It surprises me, making me flinch depending on how loud it is. With my fingers inches from a saw that easily passes through the thickest of cow bones.
I don’t care how important your dinner date steak is. If I lose my hand, I will do my damnest to punch you in the face with my bloody stump.
—–
Additional info since I received a lot of comments about it. I am not alone. I have at least 1 other coworker working the counter. No, the band saw is not next to the service counter.
That would be a very bad idea. The amount of bone dust (yes, just like sawdust) produced would nake it very difficult to keep the front area clean.
I work in a back area, that is separated by a low wall and large open bay window. That’s where we do all the meat production. That’s where we can contain all the bone dust, blood, rendered fat, and other things that come with meat cutting.
Also that area is refrigerated. We have 2 massive cooling units on the ceiling with a total of 8 fans. It doesn’t keep the production are refrigerator cold. But it does keep it around 50F on average.
Because of these loud fans, I can’t hear my coworkers when they’re talking at normal levels to someone in thw front. I can hear voices but can not distinguish what is being said. And that should give everyone an idea of how loud these a******s are.
I can hear it extremely loud over the fans, loud band saw and bones being sawed.
Image source: JTDrift, Jonny Hunter
#30
A full force punch to the face. People have died from a single punch.
Image source: chinchenping, Lukas
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