"You Touch That Metal, You're Dead": 20 Things That People Say Are More Dangerous Than They Appear
There are some things — ordinary things that you interact with every day — that are way less safe than you might think.
Redditor u/TYP-E recently asked the people of Reddit, "What is something that can be far more dangerous than people realize?" Take heed:
1."Garage door springs."
—u/Avicii_DrWho
2."Cleaning your home. Many household chemicals can react with very small amounts mixed together."
3."They call them a 'pumpjack.' You see them in oil fields. The look like a big metal rocking horse. They move slow and don’t seem like they would be that dangerous, but they are. I tried to ride one when I was 12. It mangled my foot and I’m lucky that’s all it did. It required surgical pins down each toe into the middle of my foot, drain hoses, skin grafts, and two separate toe amputations to save what I have left of my foot. You don’t want to mess with them. They will grind you to a pulp in slow motion. It’s all torque and no speed."
—u/AaronJeep
4."The sun. I live in a pretty consistently sunny, tourist-y area. The amount of people that let themselves get ruthlessly burned or try hiking without water is staggering. The sun will fuck you up."
5."Compressed air. High-pressure air can pretty easily pass through the skin and into the bloodstream, which is no bueno."
—u/Rauskal
6."Texting while driving. I see it all the time. I've seen people get into a big collision and continue texting immediately after. People should lose their licenses for texting while driving."
7."Working near heavy machinery. I’ve been an operator and I work around booms, skid steers, and packers regularly. Being aware of your surroundings is a must — but even then, that might not save you."
—u/EXHKOR
8."Any unprepared or unforeseen head impact. If your muscles aren't ready for the impact, you can easily get knocked out and fall limp on the ground, hitting it hard enough to break something vital and die. If you have an unknown condition that get aggravated by the hit, it can also be over. Never hit someone if you aren't prepared for the consequences. Never fight somebody if you can avoid it. A bad hit is all it takes."
9."Running through railroad crossings, might be the most idiotic thing someone can do while driving. There is always that one chance you get stuck, and then you get pancaked."
10."The Chernobyl exclusion zone. The amount of people who visit illegally is shocking, and the disregard for their own safety and health is also shocking. There's a claw that was used to move nuclear waste, and it was moved into a spot and left there. The amount of people CLIMBING, TOUCHING, AND SITTING INSIDE OF IT is insane…that could kill you with a few hours of exposure, not to mention the amount of things that could radiate potentially deadly particles that people take as a souvenir."
—u/Awwyissman
11."I feel like I've met a lot of people who don't take bites and scratches from small animals like cats or little dogs as something serious. It just baffles me that they don't understand how bacteria works."
12."Driving. Every time you get into that vehicle, you're putting your life at risk."
13."Pressure washers. People think it’s funny to spray others with them, but the reality is that water coming out of that nozzle can be powerful enough to chip bricks. It easily cuts into the skin and can even inject that water into your bloodstream."
—u/350chevyman
14."Ladders. I’m an emergency physician, and aside from crashes and gunshots, the next biggest trauma I see is probably falls from ladders."
—u/Wilshere10
15."Skiing. I was young and flew through multiple barriers completely out of control on a mountain into unprotected territory in Whistler, Canada. I had to be rescued by ski patrol."
16."Lithium ion batteries. They're almost impossible to extinguish when on fire."
—u/natte_kers36
17."Bungee cords. I'm blind in one eye now because I didn't want a cooler rolling around in the car."
18."Pressure cookers. They can and have been used as bombs to kill mass amounts of people. They can also explode by accident. I will never use a pressure cooker because it is a literal ticking time bomb on your kitchen counter."
—u/BigNig2039
19."Power outlets. All it takes is an earth current and something metal plugged in. You touch that metal, you're dead. That's why if your outlets around the house are starting to die, you need to call a sparky and make sure to avoid using any other outlets that may be connected to the dead ones until everything is sorted."
—u/Rexy0250
And finally...
20."Spreading false information."
Got your own suggestions? See you in the comments!
These entries have been edited for length and clarity.
