PSA

This is page is dedicated to disseminating safety information that isn’t necessarily common knowledge, but should be. This page includes practical information about how to be safe while driving, flying, and in different situations, like near bodies of water, or in extreme weather conditions. It also includes information about how to best prepare for various disasters, etc.

Disclaimer: while I did my best to research these topics using credible sources, one should always be a critical consumer of information, I am no expert and my analysis and synthesis are fallible

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Car Safety:

  1. The steering wheel should be at least 10 inches away from the driver’s chest for optimal safety but make sure your seat is still close enough to the steering wheel that your wrist can rest on the top of the wheel with your arm outstretched and your back against the seat
    • This will reduce injury in the event that your air bags are deployed
  2. If your car’s accelerator seems stuck and your breaks not seem to be working, take your foot completely off of both pedals (people often think their foot is on the brake when it’s actually on the accelerator in these instances) before reapplying your foot to the break
    • Check that nothing is stuck under the pedals (like the floor mats)
    • If that still doesn’t work, put the car into neutral (this will allow you to continue steering the car), turn the car completely off either with the key or by holding the “on/off” button down for three seconds, or apply the emergency break
  3. Know that when people see an oncoming car swerving into their lane, their instinct will often be to slam on the brakes and steer directly towards it
  4. Obviously, on long drives you want to occasionally open the car windows to get a fresh supply of oxygen, but because your biggest daily exposure to air pollutants comes while driving, when driving through polluted road conditions, such as a congested road or when there are lots of trucks, close your windows and recirculate the air on a low fan speed
  5. In the event of a brake failure:
    • Turn on your hazard lights and honk your horn to signal the drivers around you
    • Put the car in neutral and find a soft spot like bushes and grass lawn to crash OR use the emergency brake slowly and downshift to make it easier for the vehicle to stop, or turn off the car
      • But know that applying the emergency brake it at high speeds, or turning the car off, can make you lose control of steering, so try to remain calm when that happens
  6. If you are the target of someone else’s road rage
    • Do not speed or weave in-and-out of traffic to get away from them
    • Do not stop
    • If possible, pull into the nearest police station
  7. The vehicle facing uphill has the right-of-way (because they have less control — so the other person should backup)
  8. Tip: If you have problems with spatial reasoning, spending an hour a week playing Tetris can help

Car Checklist:

Before driving, especially if driving a new car for the first time, complete this check list before driving.

  1. Check tire thread depth
    • Insert a penny in between your tire’s tread with Lincoln’s head facing you and pointing down. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, your tread depth is less than 2/32 of an inch and it’s time to replace your tires.
    • Repeat this step in three separate areas of the tire; inner, center and outside, for all four tires
  2. Test lights
    • Headlights, brake lights, high beams, blinkers, and fog lights
      • Make sure car turn signal lever is adjusted properly
  3. Test windshield wipers
  4. Adjust driver’s seat
  5. Adjust mirrors
  6. Memorize where the:
    • Lights
    • Hazard lights
    • Defogger/defroster (the symbol of arrows pointing upward)
    • Windshield wiper lever
    • Climate control
    • Volume controls
    • Parking/Emergency Brake (can be a hand-operated lever, a foot-operated pedal, or a straight pull handle near the steering column)
  7. Memorize how to apply the parking/emergency brake (and actually use it every time you park…) and how to use the horn

Pro Tip: Don’t wear claw clips in your hair while driving – – unless you wanted impacted into your skull if you have a car accident

Airplane Safety:

  1. Every time you get on a plane 1.) find your nearest exit, 2.) review the safety information, and 3.) listen to the safety briefing
    • Because:
      • Your instinct in an emergency will be to follow the crowd — but this may be to a further exit
      • Cortisol interferes with your thinking — which means even things like unbuckling your seat belt, putting on a life jacket, or opening the exit hatch are going to be more challenging than expected
      • Passengers who read the safety information card are less likely to get hurt in an emergency
        • Tip: Count how many seats in front or behind you the exit is, and try to memorize that number. You could even practice walking from your seat to the exit row, placing your hand on the back of each aisle seat as you go, so in the event of smoke/darkness, you can still find your way
        • Tip: Some people may push over climb over seats, or try to take their baggage with them, for this reason it is best to sit at or near an exit row
          • Front: worst place in the event of a nosedive
          • Middle: center of gravity means less turbulence but you’re right on top of the fuel cells
          • Back: highest relative survival rate based on the stats available
        • Tip: Middle seats are probably be the safest, because people in aisle seats might be hit by luggage, and window seats have more barriers between them and the exit
  2. If the airplane you are in suddenly loses pressure you only have about ten to fifteen seconds before you will lose consciousness — this is why it is critical that you put your oxygen mask on first
  3. If you are trying to help others evacuate an airplane, yell at people to leave their luggage and to jump when they reach the exit (time is of the essence and people are going to freeze and hesitate) (tell someone frozen panic to think of their loved ones, their children to get them to snap out of it; if that doesn’t work just try to make loud noises)
    • Everyone is supposed to be able to get off within 90 seconds so don’t spend too much time trying to help others before saving yourself
  4. If your plane has to make an emergency water landing, don’t inflate your life jacket right away, it will make it harder for you to move if the plane fills with water, instead wait until you reach the exit

BEFORE Disaster Strikes

  • Keep shoes by your bed at night
    • The most common injury after an earthquake is having broken glass in your feet
      • And clothes if you sleep naked
  • Have a reusable water bottle nearby at all times (even while you sleep)
    • You never know where or when disaster will hit, having water on you could buy you critical time
  • Form a general understanding of what happens when a major disaster does strike, so you know in advance what resources you will actually have available to you
    • In the event of a major disaster:
      • Hospitals will be overwhelmed and forced to triage
        • So if your injuries are not life threatening, you can expect to be turned away or forced to wait a really long time before receiving care
      • Calls will likely not go through
        • Instead try to send text messages
      • Police, fire fighters, and other emergency services will also be overwhelmed, so you can’t necessarily count on their help, especially not in a timely manner
        • “…during the first 3-6 hours after the earthquake, nearly all search and rescue efforts are performed by family members, neighbors and community residents in the immediate vicinity of buildings that have collapsed…” (pg 191)
      • You may need to travel on foot if roadways are compromised
  • Create a plan for you and your loved ones
    • Know where the nearest emergency room is relative to your home and any place else you spend a lot of time (work, school, etc.)
    • Agree in advance on a meeting point if you cannot return home
    • Choose an out-of-area emergency contact person
    • Plan your evacuation route
      • With alternate routes on your map in case roads are impassable
    • Practice evacuating your home (with your pets if you have them)
    • Identify how local authorities will notify you during a disaster and how you will get information, whether through local radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels
  • Don’t let you gas tank get low
  • Carry some cash with you whenever you leave the house
  • Stock your car and home with first aid and emergency supplies:
    • Water, non-perishable food, flashlight, dust mask, local map, portable battery, any prescription medications, blanket, change of clothes, fire extinguisher, matches in a waterproof container, etc.

Fire Safety:

  1. In the event of a fire, your eyes may instinctually close to protect you from the smoke, and you may not be able to voluntarily open again until the air around you is clear
  2. When people die in a fire, it’s usually because of toxic smoke inhalation scorching their lungs, not because of being burned SO if you wake up to the smell of smoke, don’t sit up immediately; if the room is full of smoke roll out of bed and crawl to an exit
  3. Closing internal doors at night or before leaving your home may help stop the spread of a fire
  4. In the event of a building fire, highest floors evacuate first
    • People tend to be polite during emergencies, they let people go ahead of them in the stairwells, but that exposes the people in the most danger even more
      • Tip: As the last person from one floor reached the floor below them, have the people from that floor would fall in behind (e.g. when everyone from floor 10 reaches floor 9, have the people in floor 9 start to follow them)
  5. Practice evacuation routes in the places your frequent most (home, school, office, etc.)
  6. A fishy smell in your house could mean there’s an electrical fire; check outlets and start unplugging appliances because they may be overheating
  7. Similarly, if you wake up to the smell of gas, do not turn on the light switch because this could ignite the gas
  8. Fun Fact: if you don’t have a fire extinguisher, use baking soda (safe for grease fires)
  9. Fun Fact: “inflammable” does not mean not flammable
  10. Fun Fact: If your clothing ever catches on fire STOP, DROP and ROLL (+ cover your face)

Water Safety:

  1. Use caution before jumping into to save someone who is drowning
    • If someone thinks they are drowning they might unintentionally push you under the water to try and keep themselves afloat
    • If possible, instead of jumping in, throw them a flotation device, pool noodle, rope, etc.
      • Tip: If you have to jump in yourself, yell profanity-laced threats at the person drowning before you get to them, approach them from the rear or even underwater especially if you there is no one to swim out with you
        • Step 1: Get directly behind them
        • Step 2: Hook your arm around their neck with your elbow at their throat
        • Step 3: Swim with your legs and the other arm
          • (They will naturally float and you can haul in someone who is substantially larger than you are.)
        • If they struggle (instead of allowing themselves to float)
          • Forcefully tell them to stop or submerge yourself if they grab on to you
        • Tip: watch for signs of secondary drowning (coughing, chest pain, and trouble breathing)(the person might still have water in their lungs and could suffocate later)
  2. If you fall through the ice, the dark spot is the way out
  3. Be careful anytime you are holding your breath because of Underwater Hypoxic Blackout (aka “shallow water blackout”)

Flood Safety:

  1. Facts You Need to Know:
    • Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down
    • Just one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away
    • Avoid wading in floodwater
      • It can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris
      • Underground or downed power lines can electrically charge the water
  2. If you are trapped inside during a flood, get to the highest level if trapped in a building
    • Only get on the roof if necessary; once there signal for help
    • Do NOT climb into a closed attic where you could get trapped

Earthquake Safety:

When an earthquake starts: drop, cover, and hold on.

Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Hold on to any sturdy furniture until the shaking stops.

Crawl only if you can reach a better cover.

  • If you are in bed:
    • Turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow
  • If you are outdoors:
    • Stay outdoors away from buildings
  • If you are inside:
    • Stay, do not run outside
    • Avoid doorways
    • Crawl to shelter, or next to an interior wall (away from windows)
      • If you are under a table or desk:
        • Hold on with one hand and be ready to move with it if it moves
  • If you are in a car:
    • Unless you are on a bridge, overpass, or underpass, pull over (ideally someplace away from over hanging signs and power lines)
      • Stay in your car until any aftershocks have past and it is safe to resume driving

Radiation Emergency:

In the event of a radiation emergency all you need to remember is: Time, Distance, and Shielding

  1. Time: you have roughly 10 minutes to find an adequate shelter before fallout (visible dirt and
    debris raining) arrives
    • If you are outside:
      • Lie face down to protect exposed skin from the heat and flying debris. After the shock wave passes, go inside the nearest building as quickly as possible
    • If you are inside:
      • Move away from windows and put as many walls between you and the outside as possible and close all windows and doors (including fireplace dampers)
        • Vehicles and mobile homes are NOT adequate shelter
          • You want barriers of concrete, brick, lead, or water
            • Basements, large buildings, underground parking garages, and subways can provide good shelter
    • Remain in that location for the first 24 hours unless threatened by an immediate hazard (e.g., fire, gas leak, building collapse, or serious injury)
      • Tip: Turn off anything that bring air in from the outside (e.g. air conditioners)

Once inside:

  1. Carefully remove your outer layer of contaminated clothing
    • Can remove up to 90% of radioactive material
    • Tip: avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with dirty hand
  2. Clean off
    • Cover any cuts or abrasions before washing to stop radioactive material from getting in open wounds
    • If possible, take a shower or wash with soap and water or use a wipe or clean wet cloth to wipe any skin or hair that was not covered
      • Tap water may be contaminated BUT you can still use it for decontamination
    • Gently blow your nose
    • Wipe your eyelids, eyelashes, and ears with a moist wipe, a clean wet cloth, or a damp paper towel
      • Do NOT use household cleaning wipes or hand sanitizer on your skin
      • Do NOT scald, scrub, or scratch your skin
      • Do NOT use conditioner
    • Any towels or cleaning cloths used should be sealed in a plastic bag and placed away from people and pets
    • Note:
      • It is safe to eat and drink food from inside
      • Only eat food from outside if it is in sealed containers
        • Wipe off the container with a damp towel or cloth before using

Misc. Facts

Tsunami Fact: If you are in a boat at sea during a tsunami, go out to sea, but if you are in a harbor, go inland

Hypothermia Fact: A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency

911 Fact: You should still attempt to dial 911 in an emergency even if you have no bars of signal. There are protocols that allow your phone to bounce signals off any tower available, including military/first responder ones and towers not on your network in the event that you attempt to call 911

CPR Fact: CPR requires a flat surface; if someone is on a bed, move them to the floor before starting CPR

Gun Safety Fact: Removing the clip/magazine from a handgun doesn’t make it safe, a bullet can still be in the chamber

Epi-Pen Memory Device: Orange to the thigh, blue to the sky

Child Care Tip: If you can’t find you kid in your house, don’t search common places they would be, search the most deadly places they could be: pools, freezes, washing machines and dryers.

Misc.:

  1. Don’t pee on jellyfish stings – pee is not sterile
    • Instead:
      • 1. Rinse the area with seawater to remove any remaining tentacles (fresh water can release more venom)
      • 2. Soak the affected area in hot water for at least 20 minutes, or until the pain subsides
      • 3. Apply OTC hydrocortisone cream
      • 4. Take Advil for the pain/swelling
  2. Don’t try to suck venom from a snake bite – – can cause infection and spread venom
    • Instead:
      • 1. Keep the bite below your heart
      • 2. Wash with warm, soapy water
      • 3. Cover with a clean, dry bandage (not too tight — keeping the venom in one place and cutting off blood supply)
      • 4. Remove any tight clothes or jewelry in case of swelling
      • 5. Note the time of the bite
        • P.S. Don’t waste time trying to catch the snake that bit you – – a description is good enough, though statistically speaking in the U.S. it’s most likely a rattlesnake (as opposed to a copperheads, cottonmouths, or coral snakes)
        • P.S.S. venomous snakes tend to be colorful with thin slit-like pupils
  3. Don’t try to jump on impact if in a falling elevator – – head injury is the leading cause of death in falls, and that becomes more likely if you jump
    • Instead: lie flat on your back and protect your head
  4. Don’t wait 24 hours to report a missing person – – this is a made up requirement perpetuated by TV shows
  5. Don’t be afraid to call 911 if someone is overdosing – – there are good Good Samaritan laws to protect BOTH of you