- [Narrator] While we may not live in the Dark Ages any
longer or have to worry about the Black Plague
or pillaging bandits, that doesn't mean we aren't confronted with dangers every day. And as the Boy Scout motto reminds us, it's good to always be prepared. So in this video, we count down 10 tips for surviving present-day situations. - Amazing. - [Narrator] Number 10, falling elevator. There is a special corner
of our collective neurosis for the fear of being trapped
in a falling elevator. The irony is that there has only ever been one recorded incident of a
runaway elevator in 1945, when a B-52 ran into the
Empire State Building, and one of its engines severed the cables, causing the elevator carriage
to plummet 75 floors. Short of freak plane
accidents, the chances of this happening are virtually impossible because of all the safety
features incorporated in the modern-day elevators. But that hasn't stopped
Hollywood from capitalizing on the nightmare scenario. But, hypothetically
speaking, what would you do if your little box began to
plummet down a vertical shaft? Some physicists and
engineers have suggested that your best option is,
in fact, to lie down flat and spread-eagled on the elevator floor. This still presents dangers,
which includes the fact that the deceleration
of impact would cause significant damage to your soft organs, and that the floor of the
elevator could rupture and impale you instantly. Additionally, because
you're in a free fall, it would be very difficult
to pull yourself flush with the floor anyway. But if there's even the remotest chance of getting out alive, it's
worth keeping in mind. Or you could just throw
the dice and hope to be as lucky as Betty Lou
Oliver, the elevator operator of that 1945 Empire State accident, who currently holds the
Guinness World Record for longest survived elevator fall. Number nine, heat escape
lessening posture. When it comes to survival,
one of the big factors outside of food, water
and shelter is warmth. Exposure to the elements
can change circumstances in an instant, turning a viable situation into a life or death struggle,
and especially being stranded in the water, hypothermia can kick in in as little as three minutes. That's why many countries,
including Australia and Ireland actually include HELP, or the heat escape lessening
position as a mandatory part of any boating or lifesaving training. This position takes into account the fact that someone is wearing a
personal flotation device and involves wrapping your
arms around your torso and pulling your knees as far
up to your chest as possible. Hypothermia, in effect, shuts
down the body's systems, and the HELP position is designed to trap as much body warmth near the
vital organs like the heart in order to maintain core
temperature until rescue arrives. Additionally, if you're
in a group, do your best to cluster together and form a huddle, which will not only decrease heat loss, but also increase your visibility to possible boats and rescuers. Number eight, avoid the bystander effect. Have you ever seen footage of accidents or emergencies that
happen in crowded places? Chances are, there are a huge number of people simply standing
around doing nothing to help. And this psychological phenomenon
has interested researchers ever since the 1968
murder of Kitty Genovese, in which 38 witnesses saw her stabbed in front of her building
but didn't do anything. The more bystanders there
are, the less likely any of them will be to step forward to help. And this has been attributed
to a number of factors, including a diffusion of responsibility, for everyone expects someone
else to step forward. This could be particularly dangerous in events where time is of the essence, such as someone drowning. So what's the best way to
avoid the bystander effect? One study found that public
self-awareness actually reversed the effect, and a good way to
achieve this is to visualize different emergencies and
how you'd react in each. And while being aware of your state as a bystander may not save your own life, the more that the general public is aware of this phenomenon, the
better chance there is of someone stepping in to help you if you ever find yourself in trouble. A little psychological quid pro quo. Number seven, how to survive a riptide. Riptides are common natural
occurrences along shorelines, and generally involve an
intake or stream of water that flows away from the beach and out toward the sea or ocean. These can be caused when
there is a difference in wave heights that converge, or near sandbars where
there is a difference in pressure that creates a narrow funnel, but are often notoriously
difficult to spot. When a swimmer is sucked into a riptide, it can force them out into open water and may even be strong
enough to pull them under. In this case, conventional wisdom suggests that a swimmer should
try to avoid swimming back the way they've
come, since this will be against the current, and instead to focus on swimming parallel to the shoreline, where they can escape the riptide. However, one study out of
the Naval Postgraduate School by Jamie MacMahan actually discovered that upwards of 90% of
riptides are actually circular, meaning that there's a
50 50 chance that even if you swim parallel to the shore, you'll end up paddling
against the current. His suggestion? Allow the riptide to complete its cycle, a time period that's roughly
in the range of three minutes, and it will return you to
the shore all on its own. However, there are often a
lot of other factors to take into consideration, including the fact that some riptides can pull
swimmers out past breakers. And even the U.S. Lifesaving
Association has neglected to incorporate this new information into their lifesaving training until more research can be done. So for now, swimming parallel
is the official line. Number six, wild animals. For outdoor enthusiasts, being
safe around wildlife is one of the most basic skills. And yet every year,
many people are injured and even killed in
dangerous confrontations. When dealing with bears, aversion is often the best strategy. This means avoiding a
confrontation in the first place, and includes storing your
food away from your camp site, making loud noises as you hike, and avoid bear cubs at all costs. However, if an encounter
does lead to an attack, it's important to
differentiate between a grizzly or a common black bear. If a grizzly attacks defensively, most wildlife organizations suggest the cannonball position
tucked into the fetal position with your hands and
arms covering your neck, and to play dead. Grizzlies are comparably
larger and more territorial, but will relent and wander off if they don't think you're a threat. On the other hand, if it's a black bear, and especially one that has
acclimated to human activity, this method won't deter them, and it's best to stand your
ground or try to retreat. If you think a bear is
attacking offensively, then attacking back or using a deterrent like a weapon or pepper spray is best. This is also the same
approach that they recommend for cougar attacks, which
are far more likely to occur as a result of being stalked. Number five, escaping a flooding car. We're all familiar with iconic
stories of people sliding off a road into a river or a creek and getting stuck in their vehicle. And according to National Highway and Transportation Administration, nearly 400 people die every year as a result of becoming trapped because the water pressure
makes it practically impossible to open the door. Experts suggest that, on
average, you have less than a minute in which to escape. And in this space of time,
there are several key things you can do to increase
your chances of survival. First, unbuckle yourself
as quickly as possible. Next, avoid opening your door and instead roll your windows down. If you can't get the window open, your only other option
is to wait for the car to fill up with water
or to break the glass. Letting the car fill up will
equalize the pressure inside and outside the car and
let you open the door. But this requires holding one's breath, and is extremely dangerous. Breaking the window is much easier, and there are a number
of devices on the market. But if you're stuck in a pinch, you can also take off
the detachable headrest of your seat and use the two metal prongs to knock out the glass. This involves jamming one of the pegs down in the slit where
the window retracts, and then prying the
headrest back toward you. This creates a lateral stress on the frame that will, at least in theory,
fracture the safety glass. Most windows are designed to withstand a perpendicular force, but will break if they are
stressed along their edge. Of course automobile manufacturers
are quick to point out that this is not the primary
function of headrests, so this is definitely a case
of necessity being the mother of invention. Number four, don't turn your back. If you ever found yourself
faced with an armed opponent, or had a gun to your head,
most of us would like to think we'd have the frame of mind to act coolly and stay calm. But if you're anything like me, chances are you'd lose
control of your bladder, and that'd be the highlight. Nevertheless, in such a scenario, one of the most important
things you can do is to face your adversary and
use psychology to your favor. Forcing eye contact
establishes a human connection, and will make it that much more difficult for someone to pull the trigger. Depending on the situation,
be it a hostage-taker, a bank robbery, or a
kidnapping, chances are they don't want to shoot you,
or they already would have. Aside from remaining calm, many police officers suggest
telegraphing every movement by indicating out loud
what you're going to do before you do it, and to keep them talking as much as possible. Number three, universal edibility test. Stuck in the wilderness with
dwindling food supplies? Don't know which plants are good to eat? This is where the universal
edibility test comes into play. The basic premise involves first, sorting out a plant's
parts according to stem, flower, rhizome, and to focus
on one piece at at time. If it smells bad, or if exposure to the skin produces
irritation, it may be toxic. If it passes, the next step is to boil it, take a small bite, and
wait 15 minutes to see if any symptoms appear. Although this method of trial
and error has been touted as a reliable measure by
many survival skills experts, and even the U.S. military, many point out that even the smallest
exposure to deadly plants like water hemlock can result
in serious injury or death. So this is definitely a last resort skill. Number two, gas attack. Strictly speaking, if there ever was an attack containing biological agents, unless you had a functioning gas mask, your chances of surviving are slim. That said, if you found
yourself without a mask, and if you knew precisely
what gas was being used, there is the infinitesimal
chance of scraping by if you were lucky enough and savvy enough to know what to do. In the event of a chlorine gas attack, you could do what soldiers
in World War I did. Urinate onto a handkerchief or other piece of absorbent fabric and breathe
through the moist membrane. The nature of chlorine, when exposed to the ammoniac compounds in
urine crystallizes the gas, but the overall effectiveness of this technique is debatable since chlorine is highly
reactive to ammonia, and can further produce toxic fumes. Another deadly gas is
sarin, and was famously used on Japanese commuter trains
in 1995 by religious radicals. The chemical affects the
degradation of acetylcholine in the body, and can lead to asphyxia. The treatment for exposure
to sarin is the administering of atropine, and thankfully
many plants contain trace amounts of atropine compounds, including deadly
nightshade, henbane, datura, jimson weed, and cannabis. The irony of countering
a poison gas attack by smoking up is real. Number one, how to break out of a ziptie. In the unlikely event that
you ever find yourself in a kidnapping or a hostage
situation, knowing how to get out of your bonds can be the matter between life and death. More and more police and military
organizations have turned to zipties, which are
easier to carry and lighter than handcuffs or cord. However, like duct tape,
zipties have an innate weakness, and that's where the connectors are. The general method is to
flatten your palms together, position the connectors
in between your wrists, where the break will occur. Raise your arms high above your head, and then with a sharp
jerk, bring them down in front of you like
you're chopping firewood. It's very important to
keep your arms straight, so that you don't hit your
hip bones with your elbows. But another method is to
bring your knee up, again, as if you're trying to
snap a stick in half. You might end up with chafed wrists, but in a dangerous
situation with a captor, it can be a lot better
than the alternative. I hope you'll never find
yourself in a situation that requires any of these tips. But when it comes down to
life or death decisions, the best thing you can do is be prepared and have the wherewithal to look at your situation logically and calmly. Can you think of any other survival tips we might have missed,
or anything you'd add to the ones we've covered? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you enjoyed this video, make sure to leave it
a like and subscribe, clicking that bell icon to stay updated. Thanks for watching.
