You found all the best sales.
Now, you're ready to head for home.
That doesn't sound good!
The step under your feet shatters and falls away.
There must be hundreds of metal teeth
grinding away down there.
The escalator has malfunctioned.
And if you don't move quickly,
you could be eaten by the machine.
Here's
You've probably seen a lot of escalators.
They're everywhere.
In the U.S. alone, there are over 33,000 of them.
Globally, people ride escalators
about 90 billion times each year.
It's not a new technology,
since workers used a version with stone blocks
and tree trunks to help build
the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Jesse Reno designed modern escalators in 1859.
He used steam power to move a conveyor belt.
The first commercial escalator was made in 1897.
And by the 1920s, the metal escalator
that you're familiar with came into use.
Nowadays, escalators come in all shapes and sizes.
One of the biggest is in Hong Kong.
This outdoor escalator travels 800 m (2,624 ft)
and carries over 85,000 people a day.
The smallest escalator is in Japan.
this monster covers a whopping height
of 84 cm (33 in,) and has a total of five steps.
And escalators aren't just for people, either.
They move grocery carts, too.
Although escalators are common,
they can be very dangerous.
An estimated 17,000 people are injured
on escalators each year.
In 2010,
escalator users at L’Enfant Station Metro
in Washington, D.C.
heard a strange noise from the escalator,
and then it suddenly sped up.
People were slammed to the floor,
and more people were thrown on top of them.
So, if you're riding an escalator,
Escalators can save us from
climbing a lot of stairs.
But any machine can break down,
and you don't want to get hurt.
Here are some things you can do
to survive a malfunctioning escalator.
You might not think that your fashion choices
could affect your safety on an escalator,
but it most certainly does.
Before riding an escalator,
check the length of your
shoelaces, pants, or skirt.
Undone shoelaces,
or fabric that's touching the ground
puts you at a high risk of getting caught
in an escalator's mechanism.
This could cause you a lot of
injuries if you're not careful.
So, before hopping on,
make sure your shoelaces are tied.
And if your clothes drag on the ground,
hold them up for the journey.
You don't want to travel
to the inside of an escalator.
There's a good chance that your
next escalator ride won't malfunction,
but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
If you stand in the middle of the escalator,
with your feet shoulder width apart,
it gives you a strong foundation.
Most escalators come with a
motorized railing on each side.
So, grab ahold of the railing
to increase your stability.
If a malfunction does occur,
you'll stand the best chance of maintaining
your balance and composure.
If the escalator suddenly speeds up,
or changes direction on a dime,
you'll need to adjust to it fast.
First, make sure you
face the direction you're going.
If the escalator changes direction, turn around.
If you're near the
top or bottom of the escalator,
try to run and get off.
If you can't run,
and you're moving in a new direction,
check what's happening to the other passengers.
If they're being thrown
on the ground at the end of the escalator,
you don't want to become
another body on that pile.
It could injure you,
or you could hurt other people.
Prepare to either leap over the bodies,
or jump to an emptier area.
If you can, wait until the escalator
is closer to the ground,
then vault over the railing
to get out of the way.
This will likely be easier if
you're wearing sandals or athletic shoes.
Many shoppers casually walk onto an escalator
with their hands full, or use their phones.
To stay safe on escalators
it helps to pay attention.
After all,
you'll be riding above hundreds of sharp,
metal teeth.
So, make sure you're not eaten.
Keep your eyes out for wobbly steps,
or unusual sounds that could
signal a breakdown is coming.
In 2015,
a woman in China lost her life
while saving her son on an escalator.
She noticed that the metal plate
at the very top of the escalator was missing.
After pushing her young son out of the way,
the woman fell into the hole.
She was crushed to death.
Usually, there are emergency stop buttons
at both the top and bottom of an escalator.
Most emergency stop buttons are red,
and they're on the right hand side of the escalator.
If you see someone in trouble,
or an escalator malfunctioning,
press the button.
This could help reduce a lot of injuries.
Now, you're prepared to tackle
any potential escalator threats that might happen.
But what if another common form of travel
decides to malfunction,
like an elevator?
An elevator with you in it.
What would you do if an elevator fails
and begins to drop?
Is it possible to survive something like this?
Well, get off on the fourth floor,
and watch How to Survive a Falling Elevator,
right here
on How to Survive.