Imagine you're in a forest and come across a bear. Or that you're stuck in a building
that’s on fire. Would you know what to do to survive? Life is full of surprises, and
not all of them are pleasant. But there's always a way out, even in situations that
seem hopeless.
1. How to escape from a car You push on the door with all your strength
but it just won't open? Don't panic! If there’s an emergency and you can’t get out, try
to break the glass, but do it the right way. Don’t hit it in the center, but on the edges.
If you can remove the headrest from the seat, use it to break the glass. The headrests are
different depending on the car model, so make sure you know how to remove the ones in your
car.
2. Unpredictable fire Can a harmless thing we use basically every
day be the reason for a fire? This fact might surprise you, but if direct sunlight hits
a plastic bottle, it can actually start a fire. This can happen because the water bottle
acts like a lens that focuses the light coming through the window into one hot spot. That’s
why you should never leave water bottles under direct sunlight or in your car.
3. If caught in a fire, keep low to the ground Many experts have noted that the greatest
threat doesn’t come from the fire itself, but from carbon monoxide fumes, aka smoke.
That’s why it’s crucial to stay as close to the floor as possible during a fire to
avoid breathing in poisonous smoke. You should stay in this position until you can make your
way out of the building or someone comes to rescue you.
4. Address someone directly to get help If you’re in a place with a lot of people
around and suddenly need help because you feel sick or are hurt, you should avoid the
bystander effect. It’s also known as diffusion of responsibility, which means that people
tend to hesitate to help if there are others present. So it’s not effective to just yell
for help. Instead, point out one person from the crowd to get assistance. For example:
“ YOU, in the red shirt! Please, help me get up!”.
5. Encountering a bear Well, of course, the best advice here is to
avoid bears in the wild. Call me Captain Obvious, he-he. But if such an encounter actually happened,
you should keep in mind that this animal runs very fast. However, moving quickly around
an object like a car or a tree is a bears’ weakest skill. So, if you let it chase you
moving in circles, chances are it’ll give up trying to catch you, thinking you’re
not worth its energy. Actually, bears rarely attack people. If it starts moving slowly
in your direction, walk back slowly. Most likely, a bear will back off once it realizes
you’re a human.
6. A smell of fish or urine If it’s not because your pet had an “accident”
or you have a fish tank, then you should watch out. This smell can come from electric wires
melting, which can lead to a fire or even an explosion. It’s better to cut off the
electricity and check all the outlets to make sure the wires haven’t burned through their
insulation and started to melt the plastic. That’s why it’s important to call an electrician
to examine the problem.
7. Rip current These powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving
water are dangerous. If you’re accidentally caught in one, you need to remember that there’s
no point in trying to fight it. So don’t try to swim against it straight back to shore,
or you’ll just get exhausted. Instead, try to swim parallel to the shore until you exit
the current, and only then swim toward the shore.
8. A fire during cooking Ah, you finally have the time to cook your
favorite dish. But sometimes the vegetable oil you use for frying can catch fire on a
gas stove. If that happens, first, you need to turn off the gas. Keep in mind that using
water to extinguish burning fat or oil will only make things worse. Water particles will
immediately end up at the bottom of the pan and begin to evaporate, which will make the
flames even stronger. You must cut off the fire’s supply of oxygen by putting something
over the pan to smother the flames.
9. Don’t eat snow even if you’re thirsty If you ever get stuck in the woods in winter
and are desperate for some water, eating snow is the last thing you should do. Being in
a freezing environment and at the same time putting something completely frozen into your
body can quickly lead to hypothermia. Try to keep your body warm by starting a fire
to melt the snow before you drink it. The heated water will warm you up from the inside.
10. Hide in the tub in case of a tornado If a tornado is approaching your area, obviously
the best thing you can do is to rush to the nearest shelter or bunker, or get in the basement.
But sometimes there’s just not enough time for that. If you’re looking for a place
to hide inside your house, choose the bathtub. It’s the safest spot in every home since
the tub is well anchored to the ground. Besides, most bathrooms have strong framing and the
pipes help to keep their structure together. Don’t forget to grab a big cushion if you
can. It’ll protect you from the debris that might fall. And if the wind is too strong,
hold on to the faucet.
11. Water on the beach is too far from the shoreline
There’s nothing like soaking in the sun at the beach. But even in such a relaxing
atmosphere, you should stay alert. If you notice that the water recedes quickly and
unexpectedly from the beach, exposing the ocean floor, you should warn everyone around
and get away as fast as you can. Because when the waterline is abnormally far from the shore,
this is a sign of a tsunami.
12. How to recognize a poisonous snake Of course, it’s best to keep away from snakes
altogether. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to know the signs that help to distinguish
between venomous and non-venomous members of the species. Non-venomous snakes have bifurcated
scales on the abdominal side of the tail while the tails of their venomous counterparts are
covered with non-bifurcated scales. Yeah, but who’s going to get close enough to pick
up their tails to look underneath. Anyway, snakes that aren’t dangerous also have round
pupils, while dangerous ones have cat-like pupils. And venomous species usually have
a distinct division between the head and the neck while harmless snakes don’t. Don’t
forget though, that only an expert can really confirm whether a snake is dangerous or not.
But in most cases, these distinctions are true.
13. Walking on thin ice If you’re trapped on thin ice and there’s
no one to help you, start by lying down flat on your stomach and spread out your arms and
legs. If you have ice picks, use them as a grip to get back up to safe ground. If you
don’t have them, then you’ll have to try to roll away in the same direction you came
from. This’ll help to spread out the weight of your body evenly.
14. If your hair stands on end while you’re at an elevation
So, you’re standing on a hill, and suddenly your hair starts naturally rising in the air.
What’s up with that? Maybe, it’s just a bad hair day? Nope, this is a sign of the
presence of electricity in the air, which often precedes a lightning strike. Escape
as fast as you can and find some shelter. That’s why, when a thunderstorm is forecasted,
it might be dangerous to climb any peaks.
15. Don’t inflate your life jacket before getting out of the plane
In the case of an emergency water landing, inflating your life jacket inside a rapidly
submerging airplane would be a big mistake. You wouldn’t be able to move without help,
since you’d float up to the cabin’s ceiling. The safest thing to do is to take a deep breath
and swim out of the airplane, taking your deflated life jacket with you. Only when you’re
out of the plane should you finally pull the inflation cord.
16. Upbeat music behind the wheel Wait, who doesn’t listen to music while
driving? It doesn't mean you should avoid music altogether, but don't choose upbeat,
loud music that makes you want to dance. In 2013, Israeli researchers proved that this
kind of music makes your concentration worse. The same study showed that listening to music
you don’t like also negatively affects your driving skills. So, make a playlist with songs
that you love, but make sure they’re calm.
Which of these life-saving facts did you know already? Let me know down in the comments!
If you learned something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
But – hey! – don’t go pick up a snake just yet! We have over 2,000 cool videos for
you to check out. All you must do is pick the left or right video, click on it, and
enjoy! Stay on the Bright Side of life!