25 Common Things that Are More Dangerous Than They Seem

1.

Life is dangerous all on its own, but these activities up the ante a bit. Some things that appear to be totally normal and safe can actually have some hidden dangers lurking about them. So read through this list and you might even discover some not-so-safe behavior you've been unknowingly doing and make your life a little bit safer.

2.

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.

3.

Tired driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving. Each year drowsy driving accounts for about 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities,

4.

Colorful and pretty wildlife you’re unfamiliar with. Those colors are almost always indicators they are poisonous / venomous. If you wouldn’t eat a berry you’re unfamiliar with, why would you pick up an animal you’re unfamiliar with?

5.

Not boiling dried kidney beans long enough. The lectin causes red blood cells to clump together causing nausea, comiting, and diarrhea.

6.

A patch of calm, smooth ocean between sections that look rough. Rip Tides / Currents are nearby.

7.

Putting your feet on car dashboard. If you're in a car accident you are in for a very bad time.

8.

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.

9.

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.

10.

For kids and young adults mostly, 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.

11.

Garage door springs. I DIY a lot of things, but after reading about door springs I'll let the professionals handle it. They can kill you, and there have been cases of decapitation from them.

12.

Sitting all day long. Its not good for any part of your body including circulator system and your back / muscles.

13.

Avoidance / Procrastination —It may be easy in the short term, but becomes more challenging the longer you wait to deal with it.

14.

Cleaning with and mixing chemicals you are not familiar with or don't know the chemical make up of. Some combinations can createt toxic fumes or gasses that will kill you.

15.

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.

16.

Sucking helium out of balloons to sound funny. The body doesn’t know that it isn’t oxygen so there isn’t any gasping for air reflex.

17.

Straining while you poop. There's a saying ... If you need to push, you need to eat more bush.

18.

Backflips into a pool. As a lifeguard I can tell you, you WILL break your neck. I don’t care that you’re good at it. Stop doing them.

19.

Getting in and out of the shower/bath. One slip can be all it takes to sustain some very serious injuries.

20.

Being outside during bad weather. If you're outside and your hair suddenly stands up from static...it's not cute or funny and you need to take cover immediately as that's a sign of an impending lightning strike.

21.

Acetaminophen is over the counter in the US and is one of the easier drugs to overdose on, often resulting in liver failure.

22.

Coconuts. You are 20X more likely to get killed by a falling coconut than a shark!

23.

Staying up all night. Humans are not nocturnal and it can really take a toll on your mental health long term. It also can affect nearly every system inside your body.

24.

Propping open fire doors. Every building code requirement around fire safety is there because a bunch of people died from the lack of that feature. When fire doors don’t close, the hallway or stairwell turns into a wind tunnel feeding the fire with fuel and causing it to spread faster - not to mention, trapping people.

25.

Leaving a bottle of water (plastic) on your car on a hot day and then, at some point, drinking from it! As the plastic bottle heats up, it can release toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates into the water. Consuming these chemicals can lead to a variety of health problems like hormonal imbalances, reproductive issues, and even cancer.

26.

Holding in/suppressing a sneeze. You could pop a blood vessel in your lungs and instantly die.

27.

Otters. They may look cute, but they can be very aggressive when provoked. They're weasels, which means they have the means to kill prey items several times their size. Especially the South American giant otters. They can grow to be at least 6 feet long and regularly compete with Crocodiles and jaguars for food and territory. If they're in a big enough group, they can even kill anacondas.