"It Seems Harmless, But It's Dangerous": People Are Sharing The Common Things We All Do That Are Actually Super Risky

Yahoo

26-05-2025

If you're like me, and spend too much time listening to people yap on TikTok, you've probably come across a few "Things I Would Never Do As A..." videos, wherein people, such as doctors, nurses, neurosurgeons, and paramedics, share the things they would never do as experts in their fields.
I always find their takes so enlightening and fascinating, so I thought I'd also ask the BuzzFeed Community to share with me all the seemingly harmless, but possibly risky things we all do way too often.
We had everyone from car mechanics to attorneys to everyday people write in. Here are all the best insights:
1."I am a physiotherapist and I would never do full sit-ups. Traditional sit-ups cause microtears of the lumbar discs. By the time you reach your 20s, they can be easily herniated from something simple as bending over. There is a ton of research about this and yet they make kids do them at school. Do planks!!! They are better for your core and no trauma to the spine."
—Anonymous
2."As an attorney, I would never talk to the police. Period. Full stop. Too many innocent people get drawn into situations because they're trying to be helpful or don't feel comfortable just walking away from police. If you aren't under arrest, the most police can require you to do is identify yourself. Otherwise just shut up and walk away."
—Anonymous
3."A good friend of mine works for the Board of Education. She educates teachers, teaching assistants, and anyone who interacts with children on how to keep them safe. Not wearing a bike helmet is the #1 cause of traumatic brain injury in children where we live second only to motor vehicle accidents."
—Anonymous
4."Cyclists at night who don't have lights on their bike."
—woofshoe
Related: 26 People Who Had Overwhelming Gut Instincts They Couldn't Ignore...And Were Right
5."Not wearing your seatbelt correctly or at all. Your seatbelt is the single most important and effective safety feature in your car. Wear it tight over your lap and over your shoulder. Not behind your back. Not under your arm. Not buckled behind you. Wearing it incorrectly can defeat the seatbelt itself and lead to really terrible injuries in the event of a crash."
"Airbags alone are not a replacement for the seatbelt. Also, make sure you know how to install car seats correctly based on the age and size of your kid. Fire stations will do free checks of car seat installations to make sure you've done it right."
—Anonymous
6."Running down the stairs, or just plain not using the handrail. My husband is in the military and a young, healthy guy in his unit was found dead at the bottom of the stairs one day when his wife and kids came home. He had broken his neck falling down the stairs. Hold onto the rail!"
—Anonymous
7."Playing on a trampoline. Just like me, annoying the crud out of my mom, my kids beg me for one because all of their friends have one. Well, my mother worked as an insurance underwriter for decades. Part of her job was deciding if large companies were worth insuring or were too big of a risk. Guess which companies her insurance company flat-out refused to cover? You guessed it! Trampoline manufacturers."
"In fact, injuries on them are so common that some homeowner's insurance plans will drop your coverage if you get one. If you're lucky, they'll just increase your rate. The other industry her company refuses to insure? Theme parks. But that's a whole different discussion."
—Anonymous
8."As a trampoline and tumbling coach, NEVER have more than one person on a trampoline at the same time, especially on a competition trampoline. Most trampoline-related injuries come from having multiple idiots on the trampoline at the same time. Trampoline is an Olympic sport and can still be incredibly fun without having to do anything extra dangerous. (Also don't ever put your arm out straight to catch yourself, whether on a trampoline or elsewhere!)"
—sparklycaptain30
Related: 51 People Who Quickly Discovered Why Their Hilariously Clueless Partner Was Single Before Meeting Them
9."As an ER provider, I would never stick something in my butt that doesn't have a wide base/wasn't meant for that purpose. Can't tell you the amount of times I've seen things stuck up there."
—Anonymous
10."Get on a ladder. I'm a trained professional in the trades and I have seen some very scary things happen on ladders. To give you an example, my partner is a new concrete technologies specialist. He will climb 11 stories to hang on a free-standing column in a safety harness, but will do everything possible to NOT get on a ladder."
"Do not get on a ladder unless you are 100% steady on your feet, have three points of contact while on the ladder, and have a ladder that is actually safe. Also, consider wearing a helmet. No joke. Do not stand on a chair, and ottoman, etc. Throw the rickety, painted-on wooden ladders in the garbage because they are death traps. If it's painted, you cannot see potential points of failure, which leads to a whole other set of safety skills you need to safely use a ladder."
—Anonymous
11."I'm a product engineer in the automotive accessories space. I would have to say disregarding the condition of your vehicle's battery can seem harmless, but can be very dangerous. If you hear a clicking noise when you turn the key in your car's ignition, it could be an indication of a more serious problem with your car battery. Those batteries work off of a chemical reaction and make hydrogen gas, which then vents in fairly large quantities into your hot engine compartment full of hot metal, explosives, flowing electricity, and sparks... hydrogen is SUPER flammable!"
"The white crust on the outside of an older battery is the corrosive acid eating the metals, so you can bet if that acid is getting out, hydrogen (which is the smallest molecule that we know of) is getting out. The older a battery gets and the closer to end-of-life it gets, the more hydrogen it produces and releases. Ya'll, I ain't kiddin' when I say it scares the shit out of me seeing how many car batteries spontaneously combust every year!"
—Anonymous
12."Thinking short-term and not long-term. I know people say 'life is short,' but thinking short-term and not long-term in almost every aspect or category of daily life is super dangerous, from eating habits, spending habits, relationship habits, technology habits, etc."
—Anonymous
13."Participating in diet culture."
—Anonymous
14."Social media. I truly believe social is much more harmful than we think. There are massive mental health ramifications linked to social media use, it's given assholes and bigots a platform, and it causes us to over-consume. It can be physically harmful, too; it can lead to stalking, robberies, and murder. We are not meant to share the ins and outs of our daily lives and most private thoughts with the entire world!"
—Anonymous
15."Picking pimples, picking the dry hard skin on your feet, digging your cuticles, picking out really deep ingrown hairs, etc. I do these a lot when the urge strikes, and these can seriously set you up for nasty infections if you're not careful."
—morganleslay
16."Not temping home-cooked food. If it flies, 165°! Temp your lasagna. Temp your pizza rolls. For goodness sake, temp every meat and never ever reheat leftovers more than once."
–Kirsten
17."Eating raw fruits and vegetables without washing them first. I mean, seriously. You can get some really nasty bugs."
—Afan
And lastly:
18."Speeding. Actually, any kind of reckless driving. Speeding through yellow/red lights, not using a blinker when changing lanes, going well over the speed limit, cutting people off, road rage. Car accidents kill and cause injuries to so many people. I don't care if you're running late to work… no destination is worth risking your life on the road."
"You've got people who care about you who want you to get places safely. I know people are in a rush to get everywhere and nowhere, but if you've ever lost someone to a car wreck, I'm sure you think twice about your driving habits now. Be safe out there!"
—ellave
What other seemingly "harmless," but actually harmful habits and activities can you add? Let me know in the comments!
Also in Internet Finds: 15 Facebook Marketplace Items You'll Wish, From The Depths Of Your Soul, You Could Unsee
Also in Internet Finds: People Are Confessing Their Absolute Pettiest "Revenge Served Cold" Stories, And It's Deliciously Entertaining
Also in Internet Finds: 19 Things Society Glorifies That Are Actually Straight-Up Terrible, And We Need To Stop Pretending Otherwise