1. Float if you fall into cold water
Hopefully you never have to experience a situation like this, but if you do find yourself struggling in cold water, resist the urge to swim and just float. Many strong swimmers drown, not because they can’t swim, but due to the shock of the cold water. To survive, you need to just float until that shock goes and you can safely get yourself back on dry land. Remember – float to survive!
2. Install a carbon monoxide detector
Carbon monoxide is not only deadly to humans, but it is odourless, tasteless and can’t be detected. It’s impossible to detect without a device and can be fatal in relatively low doses. Just like a smoke detector, installing one of these devices can be life saving and definitely worth doing.
3. Don’t drive when you’re tired
Driving tired is just as dangerous as driving intoxicated, if not more. It is no myth that thousands of people will die every year by falling asleep at the wheel. While it may seem like an inconvenience at the time not driving, you have to weigh up if risking your life is worth being a few hours late?
4. Don’t walk down the stairs with your hands in your pocket
Walking down a set of stairs with your hands in your pockets could potentially be a fatal mistake. If you slip or fall over, you have no protection at all if your hands are stuck in your pocket. Every year people will have serious accidents, including death, from falling down stairs, so make sure your hands are out of your pockets!
5. Seek shelter if your hair raises before a storm
If you notice your hair raising up outside before a storm, its not a sign to get a funny picture, its a sign lighting is about to strike you! You need to find immediate shelter, and if there is no immediate shelter, put both feet together, squat down in the balls of your feet and hold onto your ankles. This gives the lightning a direct path to the ground.
6. Follow a service dog if it has no owner
Service dogs are some of the best trained animals on the planet, so when you see one on its own there’s generally a reason – so follow it! The dog won’t have ran off, it will be looking for help because its owner is in trouble no doubt. Knowing this tip could help you save somebody’s life.
7. Always check, even when the light goes green
Just because your light is green, it doesn’t mean it’s perfectly safe to go. Many people who have the right of way have died and sadly will continue to. Always take a second and look both ways just to be extra safe, and we hope we don’t need to tell you to always wear your seat belt!
8. Don’t pull objects out from a deep wound
Obviously if you can try and avoid this situation in the first place, but if you’re unfortunate enough to be in this position, try not to panic and remove the object. It seems stupid, but the object could be sealing or slowing blood flow down and preventing you from bleeding out. Removing the sharp object could also cut on artery as it’s pulled out.
9. Stay low if you’re caught in a burning building
If you’re caught in a burning building, do whatever you can to escape. A tip to help you get out and survive is to stay low to the floor. Firefighters will commonly do this and its because the breathable air will be closer to the floor. The poisonous gasses will rise up with the fire, so make sure you stay low.
10. Get to high ground if the ocean rushes out
If you’re near the ocean and all the water suddenly disappears out to sea unexpectedly, you need to get out of there! You may have seen it in films when this happens, as it’s typically followed up by a huge tsunami. You’re best and only hope in surviving a tsunami is get to high ground as soon as possible.
11. Notify your Department of State if you’re going overseas
In the U.S. you can notify your Department of State that you’re going overseas for free. You may ask “why is this important?” well in the case of a natural disaster or political issue, they will know you need evacuation. Anything can happen when you’re abroad, so if you’re an avid traveller it’s definitely worth doing.
12. Always have an exit strategy
It’s usually a good idea to always scout out an escape route when you enter a building. Would you know what to do if an earthquake suddenly happened or the building went up in flames? Going over these situations in your head could prove to save your life in the event of a disaster.
13. Keep doors and windows locked
It’s nice to believe that nobody in the world would violate your personal space and belongings, but sadly we don’t live in a perfect world. You should always keep your windows and doors locked when they’re shut, as it’s so easy for robbers now to attack your home and threaten your life.
14. Don’t flaunt your wealth
If you’re well off and possess what others can’t, then there will definitely be some bad enough people willing to take it. Flaunting wealth, especially in public is just asking for trouble, and can potentially put your life in danger. Of course you should be able to enjoy your hard-earned labour, but try and not gain too much attention.
15. Learn a martial art
Physical confrontation is always a last resort, but if your life is in danger, knowing a martial art could save your life! You don’t need to be an expert at anything to teach yourself some basic self defence techniques, which if practiced well enough could defend you from an attacker.
16. Never text and drive
No text, email, snapchat or tweet is worth losing your life for, and we mean NOTHING! Not only is this potentially going to save your life, but you could potentially save the lives of the pedestrian you run over, or the person who’s car you went into the back of because you was trying to send a tweet.
17. Always have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen
Whenever you’re cooking in the kitchen, there’s always a possibility of a fire, and when this happens its not pretty. For the sake of a few dollars, you should always keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen or at least nearby. Hopefully you’ll never have to use one, but you’d much rather have one just in case.
18. Swim parallel to the shore if stuck in a riptide
Riptides can be terrifying and extremely deadly if you’re ever unfortunate to encounter one. If you ever find yourself caught in one, swim parallel to the shore at the fastest speed you can comfortably maintain. Don’t panic if you’re still going further out, you will eventually be out of the current and be able to get back to land.
19. Don’t run if you see a lion
If you encounter a lion in the wild, DON’T RUN. Not only have you got no chance of out running them, but they will also definitely attack you. If one comes towards you and growls, it’s them letting you know you’re too close, but they won’t spontaneously attack you. All you have to do is walk away slowly and don’t lose sight of them.
20. If your car’s accelerator pedal is stuck down, put the car in neutral
If for some strange reason your car’s accelerator pedal gets stuck and is causing unintended acceleration, put it in neutral. It sounds obvious, but in the moment it’s easy to panic. Turning off the key is another way for it to work, but with the engine off it could cause the steering to lock or the brakes to not work.
21. A wagging tail doesn’t always mean a dog is friendly
This tip is for you dog lovers out there, just because a dog is wagging its tail, it doesn’t always make it friendly. It is hard to resist stroking a dog thats wagging its tail at you, but you have to be extremely careful, especially if the dog has an aggressive history or a troubled upbringing.
22. Let someone know where you will be
If you live alone or even when you just go out for the night, always let somebody know where you will be. This is so quick and easy to do, and if something bad was to happen and let’s say you hadn’t come home in the morning, somebody will know where to start when it comes to looking for you.
23. Carry pepper spray with you
Pepper spray can be an excellent form of self defence. It is so easy just to carry and is relatively cheap. If you’re under attack or in a hostile situation, spring the substance in your attackers eyes will immobilise them for nearly 15 minutes, giving you enough time to get to safety and call for help.
24. Always carry a signalling mirror and whistle when hiking
Theres nothing wrong with going for a hike on your own, but make sure that you always carry a signalling whistle and a mirror with you. When you’re far away from everybody, your best chance at making contact is light and sound. A mirror and whistle provide both these things and could save your life.
25. Sit at the back of the plane
Flying is extremely safe, but if you’re somebody who is concerned about crashing, make sure you buy a middle seat in the back of the plane. It sounds daft, but statistics have shown the fatality rates in these seats is only 28% in comparison to 44% if you sit in the middle third of the cabin. So in the unlikely event of your plane going down, make sure you’re sat near the back.
26. Keep your car keys by your bedside table
Before going to bed, make sure you leave your car keys by your bedside table. If in the night a burglar comes in your house, you can press the panic button on your car to stare the intruder away, potentially saving your life. However, don’t neglect locking all your doors and having a good home security system, that would be much more effective.
27. Make sure you know the emergency number
911 is not the emergency number in every country, in fact it’s not the emergency number in most countries. This is why its so important that if you’re travelling abroad, you make an effort to find out the emergency number. The last thing you want is to be in a serious accident and not be able to get help!
28. Be careful when road raging
Everybody is prone to road rage now and again, there’s nothing wrong with being frustrated by idiotic driving. You have to be extremely careful though when road raging, you never know what lunatic you could have started with and what kind of weapons he’s willing to use against you. Our advice would be juts keep your fingers and swear words to yourself.
29. If you’re lost in the woods, prioritise finding shelter
You find yourself lost in the woods, do you find water or food? Well, before you consider any of them, you have to find shelter. You can go 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food, if the weather is bad you will be lucky to last 3 hours if you can’t get sheltered and stay warm.
30. Grab a dogs back legs when breaking up them up from a fight
When trying to split up dogs in a fight, most peoples instinct is to try and grab the collars and drag them away – this is actually wrong. Going to grab the collar puts you at a much higher risk of being bitten and seriously injured, even killed. You’re much safer trying to grab the dogs back legs and pulling them apart that way.
31. Use Your Headrest Pole To Smash Your Car Window If You Need It
If you ever find yourself trapped in your car in an emergency situation, the poles of the headrest are designed to be able to smash a car window when needed. That is why your car headrest will also completely pull off, for when you need it.
32. If Calling For Help, Shout Specific Details About The Person Whose Attention You Want
If you get into a dangerous situation and need to shout for help, it can be very easy for a lot of passersby to ignore someone shouting ‘Help!’ or just shouting. If you instead shout specific details of someone, like ‘Help! You, the woman with the phone out, with the red coat’ etc will help to get people’s attention quicker.
33. Or, Shout ‘Fire’ Instead
If you’re really struggling to get the attention of anyone nearby and nobody is responding to ‘help’, you should try shouting ‘fire’ instead. It’s more likely that people will run to someone shouting ‘fire’ to check if something is burning.
34. If You Meet A Mountain Lion, Don’t Turn Your Back
If you happen to find yourself in a situation facing a mountain lion out in the wilderness – or maybe even if it’s wandered somewhere it shouldn’t – don’t turn your back. It will wait for you to turn your back so it can attack when you’re turned, so you have more of a chance if you walk away backwards whilst keeping your eyes on it.
35. A Red Line Can Mean Blood Poisoning
If you’ve suffered a wound or found yourself with a bite from something like a bug, you should pay attention to whether you see a long red line. If you do, it’s very likely blood poisoning, which means you need to get to the emergency room as soon as possible.
36. Don’t Remove The Helmet Of Someone In An Accident
It’s a natural instinct to want to try and help someone who has had an accident by making them more comfortable or checking how you can help them while waiting for an ambulance. But if you come across someone like a motorcycle driver who’s had an accident, never take off their helmet – if they have a head or spine injury, it could make it worse.
37. And Don’t Remove Your Own, Either!
The same logic applies to you if you find yourself in an accident and you’re wearing a helmet. Never try to remove your own helmet, even if you can or feel fine, as this can also exacerbate any spine or head injury. The shock of the accident might not enable you to feel any injuries straight away.
38. A Fishy Smell Could Mean Electrical Fire
We all sometimes find weird smells in our home and wonder whether it’s the bin or something has gone off in the fridge. If you smell fish in your home (without having any fish in your house, of course) then don’t dismiss it as a weird food smell – it could mean an electrical fire.
39. Keep A Survival Candle In Your Car (With A Means To Light It)
This is for if you regularly travel in cold areas, or you’re planning to make a journey somewhere cold. If you end up in an emergency situation and trapped in your car without heat (such as if you break down), the heat from just one candle can stop you from freezing to death.
40. If You See A Moose In The Road, Definitely Swerve Anywhere Else
For certain roadkill animals it’s advised that you should carry on driving as sometimes it can be safer to hit the animal rather than try to swerve and cause a dangerous accident. But in the case of a moose, hitting it directly will be pretty much the same as driving into a brick wall. So it’s better to drive into a ditch than hit it.
41. Different Bears Need Different Reactions – And There’s A Rhyme To Remember
We would hope you never find yourself up against any kind of bear, but there are important things to remember when faced with each of the three main types. If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, goodnight. (The last isn’t very optimistic, of course).
42. If A Tornado Doesn’t Look Like It’s Moving, Run
If you find yourself in a natural disaster situation and spot a tornado in the distance, the logical thing to do is to check where it’s moving. If it doesn’t look like it’s moving at all, you may think that means it’s not – but if it looks like it’s not moving, it means it’s moving towards you.
43. Remember That The More Vibrant An Animal Looks, The More Poisonous It’s Likely To Be
The world is filled with an array of beautiful, colourful creatures – and a lot of them will be poisonous. It can be hard to know whether animals are poisonous or not out in the wild, so a good thing to remember is that the brighter, more colourful and more vivid an animal is, the more poisonous it’s likely to be.
44. If Buried In Rubble, Don’t Yell – Tap Instead
If you find yourself buried under a pile of rubble (but hopefully not), your first instinct will probably be to yell for help. But this isn’t the best idea when you’re buried because it’ll waste energy as well as air. Instead, find something to tap loudly and do so in a pattern of three taps (or any recognisable pattern). This will more likely get rescuers attention.
45. If Someone Points A Gun At You In A Public Place To Kidnap You, It’s Better To Fight And Risk Being Shot
In this horrible situation when someone has a gun and is telling you to go with them, it’s better to fight them or shout loudly, or start screaming, if in a public place. It might make them shoot you in a panic but your odds of survival will be higher this way than if you stay quiet and let them take you, even if you think you’ll find a way to escape later.
46. Never Mix Ammonia And Bleach
When you’re doing some household cleaning, you might be tempted to mix a few different products. But you should never mix ammonia and bleach, because this will result in a poisonous gas which will be fatal to you.
47. Always Follow Water Downstream If Lost
If you get lost in the woods or somewhere in the wilderness near a stream or river, always follow the water downstream. This is because you should, eventually, come across some signs of civilisation – or the river will eventually run downstream into the ocean, which still gives you a chance of finding people.
48. If You See Square Waves In The Ocean, Get Out As Soon As Possible
If you see square waves in the ocean, as pretty and interesting as it might look, don’t stay around to look at it. This is because square waves are known to be caused by strong rip tides, which is definitely not something you want to get caught in the middle of.
49. Never Try To Take Off Your Garage Door Spring By Yourself
You definitely need to wait for a professional if you need help with your garage door spring. This is because garage doors can can actually kill you if you don’t take them off the correct way. The amount of energy in a garage door spring is powerful enough to severely injure you, such as breaking bones, cutting off limbs or fatally sending its winding bar at you like a bullet.
50. After Two And A Half Days Without Water, Drink Unsanitized Water Rather Than None At All
If you find yourself in a stranded situation where you haven’t had any water for two and a half days, if you find a source of water that isn’t able to be sanitized, it’s better to drink it anyway rather than not drink at all. You’re going to die if you don’t drink any water, so it’s better to risk a disease from unsanitized water and stay alive to find treatment.