If you have ever survived a traumatic event that could have resulted in the worst possible outcome, it could really change your perspective on life.
Being lucky enough to tell stories after a near-tragic incident is the ultimate luxury others unfortunately never get to have.
Do they chalk it up to fate? Luck?
While some survivors count their lucky stars, others perpetually analyze how they might have avoided a dangerous situation.
But thanks to Redditor shpanda89 asking – "What is a basic survival tactic/rule/lesson that everyone should know?" – we now have an opportunity to be prepared if ever fate deals us a nasty blow.
Take notes. It could save your life.In the event of a collision, you may want to keep these suggestions in mind to increase your chances of preventing worse injuries.
Preparing For Impact
"Bend your knees/elbows when bracing for impact. If you lock your joints you're probably going to break something."
– Etterra
After An Impact
"Stay still after a car wreck unless there's fire, moving around can worsen any potential spinal injuries, no matter what condition your car is in, if there's any chance of a spinal injury the fire brigade will still take the roof off and the paramedics extricate you in various braces to prevent movement."
Life Vests
"Wearing a life jacket is still important if you can swim. People drown because they're unconscious when they hit the water. Unless you can predict when you're going to pass out/get hit in the head/have an aneurism and fall out of the boat, then you need to keep the thing on."
In the event of a violent physical encounter or possible abduction, the following tips could prevent a bad situation from getting worse.
Fight For Your Life
"If someone tries to force you into a van/car/alleyway whatever in public, NOW is the time for maximal resistance. Also yell, scream, get others attention."
"They are trying to move you into a location where they have more control and safety, and you have less. This is your BEST chance to escape."
Let Yourself Go
"Also, stop using your legs to hold you up. Bend your knees or go completely limp. It's not intuitive, but try this. Grab a friend (with consent to the experiment) and pull them backwards...they will use their legs and most likely will actually walk themselves backwards because it's natural to do that if you feel you are going to fall backwards...this makes it quite easy for you to pull them with you. Then try again and tell them to go entirely limp, or let their legs go rubber. Now your victim is not helping you, you have to support more of their weight. Meanwhile, hopefully your victim is using their arms and hands to poke your eyes out. Not as easy as when the victim is standing!"
"So ... go limp."
Leaving Breadcrumbs
"You also wanna leave as much of your DNA everywhere as possible, pee yourself, spit, rip your hair out, go for gold and it'll make them a lot less likely to follow through."
– tiddyh0
A Built-In Plan B
"If you use a baseball bat for home defense, put a sock over the end of the bat in the scenario where the bad guy grabs it, you would unsheathe it."
– 10Dante4
If you ever find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere, you may want to avoid the following:
It's Not An Open Bar
"That most cacti only hold a weird fluid that hurts to drink. Unless you know your stuff don't go drinking cactus juice from any old plant."
Covering Ground
"If you are in the wilderness and need to sleep, do NOT sleep on the bare ground. You'll quickly become hypothermic. There's a reason bed rolls, sleeping bags, and hammocks were invented."
"If you have no camping bed, you can pile up leaves and brush, like a proper mattress thick pile, and lay in it to create an air pocket / buffer between you and the ground."
"This is arguably more important than being able to build overhead shelter or even being able to start a fire."
Keep From Straying
"If you're ever involved in something like a car crash in a remote area, do not leave the site unless absolutely necessary. Search & Rescue is far more likely to spot the crash well before they spot you."
I was mugged while walking back to my apartment a few years ago. I was not injured, but as I attempted to unlock the second door inside the vestibule of my building, I was slammed up against the wall by two, not so gentle, men.
It all happened so fast, but I wasn't sure if my two assailants had any sort of weapon on them. But I was not about to find out.
At the time, there was no surveillance camera installed in the vestibule, but I lied and yelled, "You guys know you're being caught on cameras right now, right?"
They loosened their grip on me right away and fled the scene without further incident.
Not sure if this helps in other similar situations, but making something up to scare off these delinquents seemed to be an effective tactic that may have prevented me from winding up in the hospital.
