We all have our phobias. Whether it’s being afraid of bugs, heights or FOMO, we tend to exaggerate everything in our minds. Instead, we should be concerned about other, seemingly innocent things that we come across daily. These 10 things that are more dangerous than you thought will make you want to try out roller coasters. It’s true what they say about most accidents happening indoors. But the outdoors aren’t that friendly either. As you’re about to find out, danger can spring from where you least expect it.

10. Falling out of bed makes more victims than roller coasters

This may sound funny, but it’s as serious as a heart attack. Most of us are a bit reticent before hopping on a roller coaster. Maybe you should keep in mind that only four people are killed by roller coasters each year in the United States. Most of the times, two of the four victims die because of an existing medical condition. The rest of the fatalities involve roller coasters workers. Feeling better? Now for the bad news… As many as 450 people die falling out of bed each year in the US. So you can see how the scales are tipped.

9. You’re more likely to be killed by cows than bears

Black bears kill one or two persons per year, mostly in Alaska and Canada. Most of the victims are killed by male bears who feel threatened by humans. At the same time, cattle kill 22 people per year in the US. Mothers protecting the calves or angry bulls are to be blamed for the increasing numbers of fatalities.

8. A rip current is more dangerous than a shark

Sharks don’t actually like the taste of human flesh. So most of the attacks on people are mistakes or retaliation for our behaviour. But rip currents don’t care if you’re a nice person or whether your have stringy flesh. If you get dragged away by a rip current you tend to swim against it, which leads to exhaustion and drowning. Latest estimates showed that more than one hundred people are drowned by rip currents each year in the US, whereas sharks only kill a swimmer once every two years.

7. High school sport vs terrorists

Kids in the United States are more likely to die on their school playing fields than by a terrorist’s bombs. Around fifty young athletes fatally injure themselves each year in the US. Whether it’s overheating, brain injury or cardiac arrest, school sport is a real threat, as opposed to terrorism. Around twelve US citizens are killed every year by terrorist attacks, but not within the US borders.

6. Disney World kills more than Florida’s alligators

The Disney World in Orlando has claimed eight visitors’ lives between 2005-2014. The most common causes were traumatic injuries or heart attacks, worsened by the lack of appropriate medical devices. An additional five workers were killed during the nine years from electrocution or trauma. Alligators certainly seem scarier than Mickey Mouse, but you are less likely to be attacked by one than by kicking the bucket at Disney World.

5. The summer heat is more dangerous than lightning

Lightning does seem scarier and more threatening than the heat, but a quick glance at the figures shows that the latter is actually more fatal. While lightning kills fifty one people each year in the US, heat claims the lives of 618 persons. Dying from heat is a nasty affair: if your body can’t cool down, blood is being pumped away from your internal organs and you’re in for a slow, agonizing death by dehydration.

4. A wind chill will get to you before tornadoes do

Hypothermia can sneak up on you without any warning. Once your temperature drops below 32 degrees Celsius, you won’t be able to think clearly anymore and you’re only two degrees away from losing consciousness. At 20 degrees Celsius your heart will stop beating. Around 1,300 people are killed each year in the US by heat. Tornadoes are not that ferocious and they claim 75 lives each year.

3. Carbon monoxide is less harmful than food poisoning

Carbon monoxide kills by entering people’s bloodstreams and rendering blood useless. 430 people die each year in the US of carbon monoxide poisoning. Way below the 3,000 lives food poisoning claims each year. Poultry is the most dangerous, followed by fruits, nuts and greenery.

2. Doctors’ bad handwriting claims more lives than Ebola

Ebola is fast and mean, attacking all organs and systems in our bodies. in 2018, one person died of Ebola in the US. Curious to find out how many people die because of illegible prescriptions? 7,000 people in the US take the wrong pills or dosage each year, leading to their death. So you might want to ask your doctor to print that drugs prescription next time you go in for a consult.

1. Binge drinking takes more lives than all other drugs together

Binge drinking translates through at least five alcoholic drinks in a very short period of time. This leads to 80,000 deaths in the US each year caused by alcohol poisoning, drunk driving or drunk violence. In 2013, 44,000 people overdosed in the US and died, a slightly increased number than in 2011, when 41,000 people lost their lives to drug abuse.

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