How to survive 4 dangerous (but unlikely) situations

Image via Complex Original

You might've been pulled by the tide while swimming at the beach, but that's nothing compared to a rip current.

Rip currents, according to the National Ocean Service (NOS), are channels of water that can move up to 8 feet per second—faster than any Olympic swimmer.

"If you're ever swimming into shore and you feel like you're making no progress, or even going backwards, stop. If you fight the ocean, you'll likely lose. Instead, relax and calmly swim parallel to the shore for 50-100m before trying to swim back in," advised nowyourdoingit.

Indeed, the NOS warns against trying to beat the current, since you can drown from fatigue that way. "Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle," NOS advises.

As the above video mentions, a safe way to avoid rip currents altogether is to swim between the flags at the beach. 

Gas leaks can lead to fires and explosions, and can even make a building's inhabitants sick. 

This problem has a simple solution, but people aren't always prepared for gas leaks, said AnchovieProton: "Know where your utility shut-offs are. Stopping a flood or a gas leak can be as easy as turning a knob."

According to the Gas Safe Register, you can prevent gas leaks before they start by having an engineer check your appliances each year and watching out for warning signs, like yellow flames and black stains. 

If your carbon monoxide detector sounds or you suspect a gas leak, leave your house to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, the CDC advises.

If you're ever taken hostage, you shouldn't "grovel, cry, or beg," according to slightly_pretentious, who said their friend was the victim of an attempted kidnapping. "It is important to talk calmly and rationally with the kidnapper. This makes them more likely to 'identify' with you as a human being, as opposed to a hostage." 

The International News Safety Institute confirms, "If you can build a bond with your captor, he/she will generally be more hesitant to harm you. Regardless, it is not wise to antagonize them."

The institute even recommends showing your kidnapper photos of your family to humanize yourself: "It is psychologically harder for a person to kill, rape, or otherwise harm a captive if the captive remains human in the captor's eyes."

If someone puts you in the trunk of a car, Redditor slightly_pretentious recommended pushing out the tail lights and sticking your hands out. As the above video mentions, you can also look for an emergency button that opens the trunk from the inside. 

Hopefully, you'll never have to pull any of these tricks out of your sleeve. But you're better off safe than sorry.