30 Random But Useful Tips That Could Save A Life One Day

"You can use the back of a chair or sofa to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself."

Sophia

• Published in Interesting
• July 1, 2022

Life always comes with surprises, no matter who you are and wherever you may be. Being in a usually safe environment does not guarantee you an exemption to all the potential dangers that could happen, and wherever we go, there will always be that looming possibility that something could go wrong.

In every journey that we go through and to every destination that we find ourselves in, safety must always be a priority, whether we are traveling alone or in groups with our friends and family. Signs and warnings are everywhere for us—drive safe, drive slowly, and be wary of your surroundings.

No one should ever be complacent that nothing wrong could possibly happen, because being on high alert for danger and any kind of emergency situation could save someone's life; including yours. There's nothing wrong with being cautious (except when it gets too excessive and you are already suffering from paranoia), because, at the end of the day, our well-being is the one thing that we should always look out for since the world isn't exactly a friendly and foolproof place to live in.

Good thing that people are always intent on spreading out vital information about the most random things—well, not exactly random, but it could all potentially save our lives one day. Online communities, particularly this one on Reddit have gathered their members together to share some of the most important life-saving tips they know, just in case one may find it handy someday.

Take a look at some of the best tips they said below!

1. For those who often go on to the great outdoors

Here’s some quick nature-related ones! Primarily for hikers and people who like to mess around outside.

-If you encounter an animal that looks like it’s ready to stand its ground, do not run and do not turn your back. Doing so will likely provoke them further. No, you can’t fistfight a moose.

-If you’re ever pursued by bees/wasps, run like hell! They don’t chase you particularly far (save for killer bees) and you will likely get away with minimal stings. Don’t go into water. They’re not stupid, they will wait for you to poke your fleshy bits above the water to breathe, and you will be attacked.

-Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions. If you’re bit/stung, it may be a good idea to try and capture the animal so that it can be identified. However, only do so if you’re 100% certain that you can capture the animal quickly without further endangering yourself. Getting bit by a cobra is bad, getting bit by a cobra three times because you think you need to catch it is *REALLY* bad. Focus on getting your a*s to a hospital and if you can, keep an idea of what the animal looked like. Most hospitals are stocked with anti venom for local species, and most species are distinct enough for a description to work as an identifier.

-Bats. If you get bit by a bat, or even have cause to *believe* you were bit by a bat, immediately get a rabies series. Bats are frequent carriers, and rabies is 100% lethal if it becomes symptomatic.

-Currents. If you’re trapped in any sort of current, be it a river or the sea, do not fight it. You will tire yourself out, and you will die. You will never win against water. Instead, swim perpendicular to the current.

-Wild animals, primarily large ones. If you bump into one and it tries to back you off, get the hell away. See tip #1 for what not to do. If you get the hell away and it sticks around, stay vigilant and leave the area immediately. It’s likely a predator doing this, and it’s stalking you. It sees you as food, and wants you dead. Whatever you’re doing, drop it and GTFO.

-lily-commissions

2. When driving

If you ever lose control of your car (i.e. The rear end starts to come around on the freeway), take your foot off the gas and DO NOT hit the brakes. Take note of the direction the rear end is wanting to spin and turn into it. So if your rear end starts to spin counterclockwise you would want to turn the steering wheel clockwise opposing that spin. Do not over turn as you can cause the car to snap back too far and spin in the other direction. If you live in a snowy place you can practice this in an empty parking lot during a snowy day. Always leave room between the car in front of you! - Far-Conversation-101

3. For detecting CO

Get a Carbon Monoxide detector with a ppm meter on it.

Recently, I was experiencing intermittent bouts of nausea and lethargy, so I suspected CO poisoning despite my detectors being up to code. I bought a new one with a meter to check if there were trace amounts in my apartment.

I discovered that my oven has a leak, so whenever I cook I get exposed to CO ranging from 35 to 90 ppm, which is pretty high. How come the detectors didn’t go off? Turns out that they only beep when there’s 50ppm for 8 hours, or 150 ppm for 5 to 10 minutes——I was just below the threshold while still getting smashed with carbon monoxide.

-othersbeforeus

4. When stabbed

If you get stabbed, do everything in your power to keep the knife in. The knife is acting as a makeshift seal and it’s the only thing keeping you from bleeding out. Keep it in and get to a hospital immediately.

Plus, if it hurts like a b***h going in, it’ll hurt like a b***h going out.

-anon

5. For when you feel someone is stalking you

If you think you’re being followed, turn right four times. Since you’ll get to the same place, they shouldn’t be following you anymore. If they do, you might be in trouble. Since it’s a common warning that you shouldn’t go home when you think someone is following you, the smartest is to go to a police station. - mnschu67

6. Staying calm

Learn how to stay calm, breathe and assess situations. This will help in so many future surprise situations. Be aware of your surroundings, exits, bathrooms and where medical/fire kits, where land-line phones are if they are around. -theabortedadult

7. In case you get caught in an avalanche

If you get caught in avalanche and not sure which way you’re facing create space around your head and spit. Gravity pulls it down and you know which way to dig. - robowes

8. For people abroad

Embassies/consulates have emergency numbers they answer 24 hours a day. Save (on your phone) the phone number of your nearest embassy/consulate when abroad. If you get in many kinds of trouble (with the police, other legal issues, medical stuff, if you’re a victim of a crime, lost your passport, etc.), they can help you much more effectively than your family/friends back home can. - mnschu67

9. Keep an eye out for drowning people

A person who is drowning doesn’t look like people drowning on TV. When someone is drowning, they rarely cry out, can’t wave their arms around, and will often just bob/sink at the surface for a very little while, often gasping, before submerging. Don’t expect it to look like the movies when you’re keeping an eye on swimmers. - mnschu67

10. Service dogs

If a service dog comes up to you, *follow them*. Service dogs will only leave their owners as a last ditch effort for help. - BranwenTheRiveter

11. Various tips

If you ever get a tooth knocked out or pulled out, put it in milk. Depending on the roots they may be able to preserve the tooth!

If you ever cut the quik on your dogs nails, keep a bar of soap on hand and rub the paw/nail area into the soap bar to stop the bleeding.

Always keep a photo of important documents in your email or your phone. Phone is handiest - save it to a specific document. Trust me - people lose papers often, or don’t have a copy of ID readily available and if you ever had them stolen you have copies to help get the new ones, shut down old accts, etc and still have some things to use in the interim if absolutely necessary. Also - for your car - keep a photocopy of your ownership in the car and not the ACTUAL ownership (advice from an officer that I was once given).

-drjallz

12. Nuclear explosions

In a nuclear explosion, most of the damage and death is caused by the shockwave the blast creates, not the fireball which has a comparatively small radius. One day you may find yourself outside or looking out a window to see an extremely bright flash.

As bright as if you were staring straight at the sun. Do not attempt to locate the source of the flash.

You have maybe 8-10 seconds to respond if you’re far enough away from the fireball. Lay face down on the ground and put your thumbs in your ears and fingers over your eyes.

Breathe through your teeth. Since you’re laying face down the shockwave will mostly pass over you. (If you’re standing up it can cause your lungs, eardrums, and other organs to explode.) Once the shockwave passes over you, you need to find shelter immediately.

I said before that most death from the explosion is caused by the shockwave. Well, FAR more death is subsequently caused by nuclear fallout AFTER the blast.

Do not attempt to travel anywhere. Just get underground. If you’re next to a complete stranger’s house or a business, don’t hesitate to go inside and hide out under as much concrete and steel as possible.

You need to remain in this location for the next 48 hours. This is critical.

Even if you survive the blast if you attempt to go home and spend just 20 minutes outside traveling you will more than likely die of radiation sickness. Radioactive material after a blast decays exponentially, and you will be safe to try and find your loved ones after 48 hours.

If you don’t wait this out, you definitely won’t be alive to find them. When you’re ready, you need to leave the city and get as far from the fallout as you can.

- mnschu67

13. Seizures

If someone has a seizure around you get them on their side, start timing their seizure, then protect their head as best you can, if you know they are epileptic and have emergency meds give EXACTLY how the bottle states, NEVER RESTRAIN, NEVER EVER INSERT SOMETHING IN THE MOUTH (yes they will likely bite their tongue, yes it'll probably bleed, no we can't swallow our tongues.) If this is the first seizure that they have ever had call paramedics and ESPECIALLY if the seizure lasts longer than 5 mins (regardless if they have epilepsy or not) call paramedic. Inform the professionals of any meds/drugs the person has taken(if you gave emergency meds) stay with person till help arrives.

Seizures/epilepsy affects millions of people and they can absolutely result in death sometimes. Especially from choking due to poor help from bystanders. Please help us stay alive

-i_lost_it_again

14. Epi pens

Expired epinephrine (epi pen) is better than no epinephrine

Studies show, if properly cared for, epi retains full practical potency for up to 5 years past expiration. Just dont leave it sit in sunlight, freeze, or heat it. All those things speed up its breakdown.

This is especially important to know these days, with epi being $600+, a lot of poor people with serious allergies may be throwing out epi that is in fact still good. When you dont need to replace it every year, its a huge game changer when youre poor and uninsured.

-Boogaloogaloogalooo

15. Concussions

If you or a person you’re with hits their head, briefly loses consciousness, but then becomes awake and alert again GO TO THE HOSPITAL ASAP.

You could have what’s called an epidural bleed in your brain, which classically presents as loss of consciousness followed by lucidity.

If you go home and just try to sleep it off, you likely won’t wake up.

-whor3moans

16. Just don't

Don't try to breath under water, you're not a fish - anon

17. Beware of fire

Keep your bedroom door closed at night. It could save your life in a house fire. Check your smoke alarms regularly. - craiglet13

18. When stuck in snow

If your car gets stuck on snow and your tire(s) just spin, you can take out your floor mats and stuff them under the wheel that spins when you press the gas. This will hopefully give the car enough traction to get itself rolling so you can be on your way again. - diiejso

19. When you are choking and alone

If you are alone and start choking, you can use the back of a chair or sofa to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself. Source: had to do it to myself when I was about 15 - lost40s

20. Don't underestimate a cough

If you have a cough that lasts more than 3 weeks, get it checked out by your doctor. Don't ever think you're wasting their time. - CheckComprehensive22

21. Swim in parallels

If you get caught up in an undercurrent and notice you’re getting dragged slowly out to sea, do not swim directly toward shore. Swim parallel to the shore until you don’t feel yourself being pulled out, then swim directly toward the shore. - mnschu67

22. Fire extinguishers

You should have a fire extinguisher in your home. You won’t need it until you really really do. 25 years ago my dad saved our house from burning down (and maybe our lives) because we had a fire extinguisher and when I moved out on my own he insisted that I get one which I’ve hauled around for years thinking I’d probably never need it.

Last weekend an electrical fire started in my building and I was the only one with an extinguisher. The fire department got there quickly so I probably didn’t save any lives, but I was able to keep it under control until they arrived. Buy one, know exactly where it is, and cut the safety tag off of it now so you don’t have to find something to cut it with in an emergency. You never know.

-justntimejustin

23. Stranded in a desert

If you are lost in the desert, or a lot of places for that matter, the number one thing you can carry to increase your chances of being found is a small reflective mirror. Anytime a plane flies overhead you can reflect light towards them, and you greatly increase your chances of being found. This seriously is more important than carrying more water with you (not that water doesn’t help, it’s just not realistic to carry that much water on your back). Furthermore, if you get stranded in the desert with a vehicle, do not leave your vehicle to find people. You are a lot harder to see than your vehicle, and your car can provide shelter (your car has some good reflective mirrors to signal with, especially the rearview mirror). Finally, the universal sign for needing to be rescued is waving two arms up and down. If you can’t use both of your arms, there is another universal way to signal for help that is more versatile. The way I can best describe it is three of anything quick signal. Three gunshots, three whistle blows, three flashes of a flashlight, three flashes from a reflective mirror, etc. Just make sure they are spaced widely enough (at least one second) and that you spend a considerable time before making your next three signals.

-mnschu67

24. Stampede

When caught in a stampede:

As soon as you get knocked down your chances decrease significantly. If this is the case, however, and you can’t get up immediately, assume a protective posture with your feet tucked up and your hands covering your head. Try to position your face in the direction the crowd is moving so you don’t get kicked and try to get back on your feet ASAP.

-mnschu67

25. Choking in public

If you've swallowed something wrong in a restaurant and it's blocked your throat, even if you aren't technically "choking" yet, do NOT go to the bathroom out of embarrassment. The majority of female choking deaths occur in the restroom because they excused themselves out of embarrassment for "making a scene"

Edit: the advice of 'don't go to the bathroom or isolate yourself when choking' obviously applies to both genders. I just don't know the statistics for where men are more likely to die when choking or why it's different than women. But I would imagine it has to do with: as women, we are more likely to stupidly be embarrassed and try to hide than men are.

-schmeelybug

26. Peanut butter saves lives

If you go on a long, overnight hike, take a jar of peanut butter. If you get lost, that can keep you alive if you’ve already finished your food. Also, take a BLUE tarp. It’s the only color that doesn’t mesh with the environment and can make air search easier. - Tiovivo1

27. If you feel like fainting

If you’re ever feeling lightheaded and seeing stars, and just a general feeling of thinking you’re going to pass out. Lay on your back and put your legs in the air and take deep breaths in and out. The blood from your brain rushed down to your feet and doing this will rush it back to your head. - Sylvaintheg

28. Applying pressure

Pressure on the wound is more important than covering it. Ice can also stem blood flow. - Otherwise_Ad233

29. When someone's about to vomit

If you see someone who may be unconscious and looks like they're about to vomit ROLL THEM ONTO THEIR SIDE. Also do this if someone passes out drunk. - Isosceles_Sandwich

30. All tied up

If you’re being tied up, puff yourself out as much as possible so it’ll be easier to wiggle out of. Tense muscles, inhale deep and stretch out your arms and legs to make more space. -mnschu67

We must never be complacent when it comes to our safety, but it's also important that you would still get to have fun while on a vacation with your loved ones. Be wary of your surroundings, always check potential hazards, and be sure to make your transportation safe—and keep in mind these helpful tips that you just read because they could be handy one day!

Do you have something similar to share? Comment down your thoughts, or share this article for all your family and friends to see!

Sophia