Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor Michaelrays asked:
"What is something that is way less dangerous than people think it is?"
There's not much to fear about traveling.
Getting From Point A To B
"Public transportation. It’s insanely safe by number of miles traveled and most of the security issues come with too few people using it."
– DeLaRey
Caribbean Vortex
"The Bermuda Triangle, particularly with modern navigation equipment."
– Chairchucker
"Man, I was so stressed about the Bermuda Triangle when I was a kid. It didn't matter I was living thousands of miles away."
– whatissevenbysix
Air Travel
"Flying"
– Ok_Distance9511
"Me with a terrible fear of planes, hoping to god that flying would be the top comment for my own peace. Thank you haha"
– Mojavecowgirl
Statistics Prove...
"It’s crazy because I totally get the statistics and how insanely astronomically unlikely it is to die in a plane crash but I still need a mg of Lorazepam to get on a plane."
– AtG8605
We were so easily influenced as kids.
Avoiding Stomach Cramps
"Swimming after eating - I used to fully believe I would drown in seconds if I didn’t wait a full hour before getting back in the water."
– Kind_Lettuce580
Gimme Something Good To Eat
"Trick or treating on Halloween. Kids are not getting poisoned by candy from strangers."
– Fishercat5000
Ruined Holiday
"You know, I hate this so bad because Halloween is the best holiday."
"It's a community experience, and it all happens with surprisingly little planning or organization. The kids and their parents go out and interact with their community in a very casual way. Something real special about that, we just don't have events where everybody in the neighborhood comes together like this, it's socially healthy to participate in shared experiences with people near you."
"But then the poisoned candy thing comes in - stay home, don't trust your neighbors, don't be social, stay home and be afraid. I hate it, this represents a great deal of what is wrong with everything."
– Catshit-Dogfart
Leaving The Bait
"Leaving your foot hanging out of the bed covers."
– Frozenlime
"Nice try, monster under the bed"
– Aneryn111
Redditors dissect how we view others.
Stranger Danger
"Strangers. Most of the violent crimes you hear happen between acquaintances."
– el_monstruo
"I grew up in the 80s. The message was 'stranger danger' 24/7. Above all: don't get into a car with someone you don't know. Then moving into the internet age, the addendum '...with someone you met online.'"
"Fast forward to today...I summon an Uber to do just that."
– BertramScudder
The Lonely
"People who have no/few friends"
"Most of the time they're either weird, shy, socially awkward, quiet, or simply just prefer to be alone."
– RadiantHC
The Quiet Ones
"Yeah I never understood how kids go from picking on someone for reading rather than disrupting the class to doubling down when they continue to be quiet because most of their social interactions have been bullies. Sometimes quiet is just being unproblematic."
– Industrialpainter89
When I was a kid, roller coasters genuinely freaked the mud outta me.
Watching passengers willingly going on a speeding ride vehicle that makes them scream in terror? I didn't get it.
I avoided riding Space Mountain at Disneyland because I heard it was a roller coaster in the dark. That's even worse.
I finally caved to peer pressure and went on Space Mountain when I was 15, and I fell in love with the ride.
After exiting the attraction building, I was so mad at myself for letting my fear get the best of me, leading me to miss out on all the times I could have ridden the ride when I was tall enough.
Redditor Dawn_Cyborgzzz wanted everyone to share about times we made that one certain, simple decision, that turned out to be the best decision, so they asked:
"What 'you know what, just to be safe' thing you did end up saving your a** later"
I believe just turning the right corner can save a life.
We're defying death on the daily.
Life Saver
Cat Save GIFGiphy"Learned CPR and first aid. Had to give CPR to a family friend when she collapsed from a heart attack and thankfully she was brought back after being down for 15 minutes. She only had minor memory problems and mostly just couldn't remember that day. She is still here and kicking years later."
CompanionCarli3
$3.50 in quarters
"Was delivering pizza in a sketchy block of town late at night. Huge apartment complex with multiple buildings. Walking up to the front door I noticed a couple of guys wearing dark clothing about 100ft behind me walking in my direction. Delivery was on the second floor and by the time I reached her door I heard the main door of the apartment complex open and close."
"She used a CC for the order and tipped in cash so when I was putting the receipt into my bag (where I kept my cash) I actually pulled the rest of the cashout and stuffed it into my inner jacket pocket just to be safe leaving just the change I had that night in the bag. Started to head down the stairs back out to my car and two guys jumped out from behind the stairs, one had a gun pointed at me and told me to give them the money."
"I quickly handed them my bag filled with quarters and they took off towards the back entrance of the apartment complex. I never ran so fast in my life back to my car. I wanted to make sure I was as far away as possible before they realized they robbed me of $3.50 in quarters."
tjohnboy
End of the Night
"I was at a sleepover as a kid, I was a little worried because my mom had been oddly tired earlier that day. I went home early because I was worried. By the end of the night, I (14 at the time) had to call an ambulance for my mom, as she was having problems with her heart and I was the only one there with her. She was incapable of forming coherent sentences and would probably not have gotten the help she needed if I wasn't there. So, good thing I was."
boredwithhorns
Side by Side
"Was on a side-by-side vehicle mudding on some property a friend and I were visiting."
Mid-ride, I turn to my friend and say 'Hey, you should probably buckle your seat belt. Just in case.'"
"Not 1 min later did he lose control and slide front first into a tree going about as fast as this thing could go given the conditions."
"Both of us were okay but the side-by-side was completely ruined."
"He looked at me right after and his eyes were as big as dinner plates."
ajohndoe17
Locked and Ready
Top Gear Electric Cars GIF by BBC AmericaGiphy"I dropped my high school girlfriend off, then for some reason I locked the passenger door."
"Not 10 minutes later I was stopped at a red light and some scummy-looking dude tried to open up the door. I have no idea why I locked that door after she got out, I really didn't have a habit of that. No idea what would have happened if that guy got in my truck."
Fat_Ryan_Gosling
Lock the doors. Every door. Always.
Minutes Later
Surf Fail GIF by Red BullGiphy"$5 breakage insurance on a rental surfboard. Broke that f**ker clean in half in my first 10 minutes."
Jaboogaman
Going Blind
"My dad lost his glasses once. He was going to just use his old prescription but last minute decided to just go to the optometrist anyway in case something changed. Turns out he had a tear in his retina and was booked for surgery within 24 hours. It was bad enough they said he probably would have gone blind really soon had they not caught it when they did."
notallamawoman
Get it all checked...
"My stomach had some issues and my doctor sent me for a colonoscopy just to get things checked out. They found 1 polyp, no big deal, not related to the current problem, and told me to come back in 5 years just in case. I put in a Google reminder and forgot about it."
"5 years later, I went for a colonoscopy and they found a lot more and said I would have ended up with cancer in 5-20 years for sure had I not gone. Instead, they removed all polyps and now I’m regularly going to colonoscopies due to having a syndrome they identified."
"I’m far away from the age where you normally get a colonoscopy so I would definitely have got cancer. When you are eligible or if it is recommended, get a colonoscopy."
matttk
5 Minutes Later
"Not my a**, but I was getting ready for school whilst Mum was vomiting in the bathroom. She said it was just a stomach bug and to just go to school but mentioned her arm hurt. Something didn’t sit right so I called the ambulance from downstairs."
"They arrived and took her into the ambulance - she then proceeded to have 3 cardiac arrests and needed defibrillating each time. A double bypass later and she was up and about within a month."
"Paramedics told me she would have died 5 mins after I left if I hadn’t called."
TheKr1tster
Weird Feelings
John Stamos Lol GIF by LifetimeGiphy"Had some weird achy symptoms and went to the doctor even though I figured I was probably overreacting. Turns out I had cancer."
Ok-Ad-2605
"I got really sick with what I thought was a virus or infection or something. turns out it might have been something like that, but whatever it was, it was made significantly worse by the fact that I had leukemia."
AHomicidalTelevision
When it comes to safety, refrain from taking chances.
The simple things save lives.
What "you know what, just to be safe..." thing you did ended up saving you later?
Clarity Is Important
"I was an expediter at a restaurant."
'It was super busy and I was trying to get runners for food."
"Was about to send out a stack of dim sum when I looked at the ticket again with a note that said 'no peanuts on the tempura tofu'."
"I had read it earlier and didn't sprinkle peanuts on it."
"Another server was about to run it to the table when I told him to wait and get the actual server for the table."
"We were slammed and he was kinda pissed but went and got him."
"The actual server comes back and he's all frustrated when I ask him 'Does your 'no peanuts' guy not like peanuts or is he allergic to them?'"
"Server responds with 'he's very allergic to them, that's why I put no peanuts on the ticket!'"
"He was all being sh*tty with me."
"I told him 'well the f*cking tempura tofu is fried in fucking peanut oil!'"
"Didn't realize the head chef was behind me and heard the whole thing."
"Server didn't know we only used peanut oil. It was an Asian fusion really nice upscale restaurant."
"Needless to say she, the head chef, f*cking reamed this guy."
"I was a half second from sending that food out too."
"Would have been bad."- Leftpaw
peanuts lol GIF by gifnewsGiphy"Safety" Is Not Just Part Of Their Name...
"Safety glasses."
"When working away it's easy to talk yourself into doing something really quick without them and there is always a voice in your head yelling at you to put them on."
"Stopped grinding the thing I was working on got my glasses came back, and then this chunk flies up and cracks the right lense."
"Spidy senses 1 Murphy's law 0."- Turtlemonk92
Being "Itsy" and "Bitsy" Makes Them Good At Hiding
"I knock out my shoes and squeeze the toes for good measure."
"Hi Mr. BROWN RECLUSE!"
"Only happened once, but once was enough to convince me it was a good habit to have."- ilikeitsharp
They Should Really Think Of A Different Name Than "Dummy" Check...
"Arrive in San Francisco a week into a trip."
"As we gather our things during a moment of downtime I go back to check the bus cause, you know, it never hurts."
"Found my passport, which I had no idea I'd dropped."- gy6fswyihgtvhivr
Celebrate 90 Day Fiance GIF by TLCGiphyNot So Different Than A Cave, If You Think About It
"Was about to put a new load of laundry into my washing machine in the dark, saw what looked to be a large sock still in the washing machine"
" Put my hand halfway into the washing machine then pulled my hand back up and thought huh, I usually don't leave things in my washing machine."
"Turned on the light, and it was a bat sitting in there."
"Never touched him, put him in some Tupperware and brought him outside."
"Left the container open and left him a bag of Doritos and he was gone in the morning."- mikechief411
Machinery Can't Always Be Trusted...
"I had a car sitting on jack stands because I needed to do some transmission work."
"Before climbing under it, I thought it'd be a good idea to rock the car around."
"One of the jack stands was not in the right spot and the car slipped off it, slamming down on the front disk brakes."
"Would have killed me."- Goyteamsix
A Sneaky Test...
"This is from 30 years ago, so some details may be different these days."
"After enlisting in the Army recruits get a list of everything they must bring to boot camp."
"On this list was a padlock."
"During 'processing', the five or so days before the real training starts, recruits are given their military equipment including duffel bags and told to put their things, they brought with them, in the duffel bag."
"After finally getting everything in I was left with just the padlock."
"I had no idea what to do with it, but I noticed if I closed my duffel bag in a certain way, I could close the lock on the hook."
"So when we get to the training unit and off the 'cattle trucks' and a few hundred drill sergeants are yelling and screaming and telling us to line up, which we do, with our duffel bags in front of us."
"The drill sergeants then proceed to check if the bags are locked and if not they grabbed them at the bottom and whirled them around flinging the entire contents on the ground."
"Everyone in the entire company had their stuff dumped except for me and one other guy."
"Only because locking my duffel bag was the only thing I thought of doing."
"Putting it in my pocket was not an option because they were very clear about not having any 'civilian' items in our uniform pockets."- Berlin_Blues
Safety Security GIF by DrawifyGiphyYou Never Know When You Might Need It...
"I was going on a road trip."
"We packed everything in the trunk."
"Then I realized that I forgot to check the air in the spare tire."
"Faced with unpacking the and repacking, I thought 'What are the odds? We've had the car for years, never had a flat, we probably won't have a flat now'."
"Then I thought 'screw that' and tossed the floor pump I use for my bicycle into the trunk, 'just in case'."
"Got a flat in the middle of f*cking nowhere."
"Spare was too flat to drive on."
"Floor pump saved my a**."
'It gets packed on every trip now."- Zorkeldschorken
It Helps To Have It In Writing
"Saved an email where a lead developer told me to do something stupid."
"A couple years later, him, now a manager who liked to yell at his subordinates."
"We were talking about this stupid behavior and he yelled, 'Well, why did you do that?!'"
"I pulled up his email, clearly instructing me to do just that."
"He sputtered and walked off, speechless."
"This guy is one of the reasons I still have trust issues with management, even after a string of really competent, caring, trustworthy managers."- thuktun
Working Hurry Up GIF by SNICKERSGiphyOr Twenty...
"Take 10 before you send has saved me countless times."
"Means take 10 seconds to re-read your email/post/whatever written communication before you send."
"Emails, especially in the workplace, last forever."- Meaningless_Is_Life
You Never Know When It Might Work In Your Favor...
"I bought a used Subaru Baja that was 5 years old at the time and had 75k miles for $12k."
"The salesman offered an extended warranty that covered the engine for $2500, would last 3 years/36k miles."
"That was kind of a lot, and I usually don't buy those."
"I don't know what got into me that day, but I said sure."
"One month and 750 miles later after an oil change at a mechanic shop, oil started shooting into the pistons?"
"I'm not good with cars, oil went where it wasn't supposed to go."
"Completely ruined the engine and turbo."
"The dealer had to keep it for 3 weeks, the warranty company flew someone out to inspect the car, and eventually approved a replacement engine, turbo, and any other affected parts."
"Total repairs cost almost $11k, and the warranty then applied to all the new parts too."
"Car drove like it was brand new! "
"Later discovered the car had 5 previous owners before me, but I couldn't find any accident or serious repair history."
"This is probably the only time buying an extended warranty on something actually worked out in my favor."- Comicspedia
homer simpson road GIFGiphyThere are those of us, myself included, who are almost never able to let our minds rest easy and are constantly worried that we forgot about something.
However, next time someone accuses you of being a worry wort, think of all these stories.
And every time your instinct to double, triple or quadruple check ended up paying off for you.
I feel like this a lot of danger in the world. But that's just a given with living.
Sky High
Traveling On My Way GIF by NeighborlyNotary®Giphy"Flying is safer than riding in a car by a long shot, right?"
hostilecarrot
"The most dangerous part about flying is driving to/from the airport."
MadaraU
Chewy
"Swallowing gum."
Working-Spare-4799
"I suspect that myth about how long gum stays in your system came to be because of a misunderstanding. Probably someone laid out some fact like, 'It would take your body seven years to break down bubblegum.' Then some dumba** decided that meant it would stay inside you for seven years because he had never heard of pooping before."
carlweaver
In the Mist
"Gorillas. There are zero instances of a human ever being killed by a gorilla in the wild in all of history. They are peaceful herbivores. If you came across a gorilla in the wild just don't be a fool and respect its space. Don't look in its eyes, don't show your teeth, and just overall act submissive and non-threatening and you will be fine."
"Movies like Planet of the Apes and Congo really got people thinking gorillas are these rampaging beasts just waiting to tear you limb from limb. https://youtu.be/Ld8qkDKl89g"
Dates
"Eating food after the best before date."
Never_stop_caring
"My country has a 'Best Before' and a 'Use By' label. If it's marked Best Before it's going to be fine to eat after the date, it's probably just going to suck. Common 'best before' foods include canned foods, cereals, biscuits, sauces, chocolate, sugar, flour and frozen foods."
"Use by means you shouldn't consume it after that date. Common 'use by' foods include milk, sliced ham and shaved meats."
frogbertrocks
Yummy
Giphy"Eating seeds of watermelon/apples. Would take literal lbs of them to kill you."
No-Job-5915
Seeds? Seeds are suppose to be dangerous? Never heard that one. Not that I'm a seed eater.
MOOOOOoooooo....
Dairy Cow GIF by Milk MoovementGiphy"Sharks, they’re a lot safer than movies like Jaws make them seem."
Final-Blueberry5386
"Statically you're more likely to die by cow than a shark."
Empty-Neighborhood58
Crackle
"Cracking your knuckles - there's absolutely no link to arthritis, people just say that because they hate the sound."
poop-in-the-urinal
"I used to crack my knuckles when I’d get waxed. Just to take the sensation away and try and focus on something else. The lady that waxed me would always yell at me about how dangerous it is, maybe she just hated the sound too. But we’re even for the pain then haha."
coldsheep3
Inside the Squall
"I'm seriously wondering if 'taking a shower during a thunder storm' should be on this list. I've always heard it was dangerous, but I've never in my life heard of anyone being harmed by it."
heelspider
"I don't know about showering but back when we still had corded phones my aunt was talking to someone when lightning hit the phone line. She had burns on her ear and hand and her hair caught fire. She was, of course very shaken but not seriously injured. She was the first person in the family to get a cell phone."
scooterboy1961
8 Legged Issues
"Tarantulas."
LittleRainghost
"I remember seeing a tarantula in the grass when I was a kid. I went in close to look at it, and it turned to me and reared up, fanning its legs out to look intimidating. Then it immediately fell on its back. Totally shattered the tough guy image."
Nut_buttsicle
From Above
cat skydiving GIFGiphy"Sky diving is a lot more safe than people think."
TrickBoom414
"Correct. It's been a long time since I looked at the numbers but IIRC the vast majority of skydiving deaths are experienced jumpers pushing the limits of their skill/equipment. Deaths among first time and students was incredibly low."
Meshuggahn
Life isn't as scary as you might think. You just have to have faith.