It turns out that quick sand, burglars and house fires are far less of a risk in adult life than I'd anticipated. Phew!

[Limth]

As a child, I felt certain I'd witness at least one untimely death in quick sand. Possibly my own.

I also felt certain I'd be burgled in the middle of the night on multiple occasions by a duo of tiptoeing men, one of whom would be wearing a stripy top.

And I felt sure that, at least once in my life, I'd wake in the night to a room filled with smoke as my house burned down around me. I still won't let my dog sleep downstairs just in case of fire.

These eventualities were so ubiquitous in children's media - I was born mid-80s - that I was sure they were just eventualities. In fact, almost obligations - these things were so ubiquitous to be almost legal mandates - that everyone had to experience a house fire, burglary and a brush with quick sand death at some point.

What things from your childhood turned out to actually be far less of a risk than you'd thought?

Someone I was at school with decided to take a pee over the side of a railway bridge onto high-voltage cables. It did not end well for him.

I was born mid-70s and this threat loomed large in my childhood, due to the terrifying public safety information films about it.
Like another poster, I also lived in fear of electricity pylons and sparklers. Actually still can't go near a sparkler, much less countenance the idea of holding one.

There were also lots of urban myths among my family and friends along the lines of how you mustn't swallow apple pips or an apple tree would grow in your stomach, and you mustn't swallow chewing gum or it'd stick to your heart and you'd die

70s baby here. Quicksand is definitely an irrational fear of mine. When they warn of the quicksand on the beaches I am so frightened. I was talking to someone about this a few days ago.
They used to have it a lot in the cartoons back in the day.

As a young kid I was in a smoke filled room (my mum left the iron on and popped out to the shops when I was still asleep). When I woke up I couldn't see the calendar on the wall but never realized the danger and hid under the duvet, I was around 3-4 max, this is one of my earliest memory. Thankfully my mum got back in time and was able to extinguish the small fire.

When walking Thames path towards the source, at one point the riverbed was dry and I stood on it. Not much further up we saw signs beware of quicksand. How stupid was I 😱

Recently when climbing over the field fence, my friend touched what we thought was electric wire but had no reaction. When I touched it I got electric shock and was frightened that my hand closed over it instinctively so it shook me for a moment before I consciously pulled away from it.

These things can happen totally unexpectedly ☹️

I also remember from the 70s , a PiF about the dangers of putting a rug on a polished floor. It was akin to a mantrap, according to this film (showed image of mantrap) and ended with a young couple coming through the doors to a grandparents' home, holding a newborn.

Fortunately(I think) , it's the bloke (carrying the bags) that slips on the rug, not the Mil or the woman with the baby.

(A Tales of the unexpected episode also featured a murder, that involved a rug on a polished floor- definitely a 'thing to be feared^ in the 70s! ).

😂😂 same with the quick sand.

though in Neighbours one of the characters did nearly have an untimely death in a grain silo.

Eating and then going swimming, haven't drowned yet!

Every time I get in the sea I worry about a rip tide.

The sea I’ve spent most of my time in isn’t even tidal so it would be quite impressive if one appeared.

Quicksand! Absolutely. Always been terrified and even have nightmares now. In fact, had one last week. It was more of a bog, but I was struggling before I suddenly remembered 'keep still and try to spread yourself out' 😂

I still struggle to enjoy a sparkler

I grew up when the government were sending leaflets to everyone's houses to tell them to get under a table in the event of nuclear war! And Raymond Briggs and When the Wind Blows.

I am still a little bit scared of a tsunami, even in England in winter.

😂😂😂😂😂

Eaten by a shark. This includes being eaten by a shark in a wave pool, as the grates at the end of the wave pool are well known to be barricading in sharks, which get released when they open them to let the waves into the pool.

I think about Glen Miller.

OMGFG! I've only watched the first one, with Death standing watching kids playing near water, terrifying and the start of the second one with Jimmy Saville, urgh

well funnily enough we had a polished floor in the seventies and I did slip on it when I put a chair on the rug to look out the window. i knocked myself out and ended up in hospital with a concussion at age 3. SO maybe I am the reason for the warning films!

Acid rain, we were taught over and over about the horrors of it.

Also being hit by a train, who knew that if you just don't mess about on train lines then it's very unlikely!

Yes I remember those scary public information films about the electricity grid things, I used to feel sick watching them.... never had cause to go in one though!

OMG this thread is definitely bringing up memories of my sister. At a tangent to her fear of burglars, we left the cinema after watching Jaws. She was in floods of tears. My dad asked why she was crying. She was crying because it wasn't right they killed the shark because it was only doing what sharks do...

Same! I remember there was a unfortunate boy called Robbie in them who every time had half his face burnt off and never walked again. Absolutely terrified me but fair play I never went on the railway lines .

Falling down an abandoned well.

Fireworks/sparklers - still think they are bloody stupid

Bouncy castle blowing away

Gas leak and switching on a house light

There were a lot of highly polished floors about. With bobbly plastic runners( that my mum probably thought were really modern).

It was the very dramatic tone of the film, and the foreshadowing of the happy new parents -cutting back to clips of the fearsome mantrap-that have always stuck in my mind .

Falling when ice skating and having my fingers cut off by someone's blades

Never actually been ice skating in my life 🙄

Those adverts worked didn't they, I would never have a chip pan in my house or climb up electric power stations!!

I’m still surprised how little impact the Bermuda Triangle has on my day to day life given the amount I read/worried about it as a child 😂