Minor Details That Save Lives You Don't Know the Purpose Of
September 23, 2024
•18 min read
These small design details you may not have noticed do actually save lives.
We take a lot of objects and items that we use every day for granted. But did you know some of them have incredible hidden components that are actually designed to save your life? From secret details in planes and cars, to little known features on your phone, backpack, and even pen lid, let's explore the true life saving purposes of the things hidden all around you!
Life Saving Spirals On Jet Engines
How fast do you think an aircraft engine runs? While it might be tempting to take a closer look, you should stay back! Because, even from 16ft away, some jumbo jet engines are powerful enough to suck hilariously heavy items straight into them. But how can ground crew tell if they’re in danger of being sucked in and sliced to ribbons?
Spirals are painted on the central cones of the engine and, when the engine’s off, it looks like an unassuming decorative detail. But when they’re running, the spirals become obvious white blurs depending on the rotation speed! So, it’s pretty easy to see when it’s a super spinning threat or not.
Bleed Holes: Tiny Holes In Airplane Windows
If you’ve ever sat in the window seat of a plane, you’ve probably noticed the tiny hole at the bottom of your quasi rectangular window. While a lot of people don’t think much of it, it’s actually essential for keeping you safe when you’re up in the air!
Static Wick: Metal Rods On The Aircraft Wing
If you’ve never noticed the bleed holes in airplane windows, then you’ve probably never spotted the weird wand like things strapped onto the aircraft’s wing. While they look like someone plucked them out of a Harry Potter film, they’re not using magic to help the plane take off.
As a plane flies, it’s constantly rubbing against the particles in the atmosphere. That creates a build up of static electricity, the same thing that accidently gives people electric shocks, or on purpose if you’re feeling naughty! That build up tends to migrate to the trailing edges of the aircraft, but if all that electricity builds up in one section, it could create a huge spark and result in a fire.
Escape Rope Brackets: Yellow Hooks On Airplane Wings
Spirals, bleed holes, static wicks could airplanes have any more life saving details that most people didn’t know about? The answer is obviously "yes", and another one can be found out on the wing! Poking out of the metal sheeting, you might see several sets of small yellow bumps dotted across the wing.
If you’ve never seen them in use, then that’s actually a good thing. Because those are escape rope brackets, and they’re only used when something seriously bad has happened and the plane is forced to make an emergency landing. In an event like that, inflatable emergency slides automatically deploy from almost every door on the plane, allowing passengers to slide to safety.But passengers on the wing have the harrowing task of walking out onto the wing to get to their slide. Although it isn’t always that simple! In the event of a water landing, the wings are likely to be wet and slippery, and the rocking of the plane could see a survivor take a nasty tumble into the water below.To ensure no one is lost to the waves that way, cabin crew secure an emergency rope across the wing using those escape brackets, giving survivors something to cling to, other than hope as they cross. So, when you’re booking your next flight remember, unless you’re happy making that James Bond style over wing exit, maybe choose a seat further back!
Backpacks With Emergency Whistles
We all have that one friend who’s a huge fan of a good hike, and it seems like they’re always trying to get you back in touch with the good old outdoors! As great as all their enthusiasm is, the outdoors isn’t always the safest place to be.
Bicycle Helmet Holes
Just about any bicycle helmet can protect your noggin, but why would you buy a helmet with loads of holes in it? Surely, if it’s not covering your entire head, then it won’t be that effective, right? Actually, wrong!
Those holes are primarily used for ventilation, because you release about 7-10% of your body heat through your head. But when you exercise, that can result in a super sweaty build up that drips down into your eyes. Not only is it gross, but it’s insanely dangerous if you can’t see where you’re going! But those holes also serve another ironically accidental safety function as well.
Breaking A Car Window With A Headrest
Helmets aren’t the only accidentally ingenious designs out there. Years ago, an internet myth began circulating that car headrests were designed to be detachable and sharp in order to break the car’s window in an emergency. Unfortunately, there was no real evidence to support that claim because no car manufacturers or designers came forward to corroborate it.
But it would take more than that to stop people from trying that urban legend out for themselves! Many brave window smashers have attempted to show the world that a detached car headrest can in fact be used as an emergency escape tool.What Are Subway Conductors Always Pointing At?
The New York City subway is made up of the most stations in the world! But since it was completed in the 1930’s, very few changes have been made to that subway’s mammoth infrastructure. So, when it comes to safety, you might be wondering what systems are in place to stop serious accidents. And one of those is simpler than you’d ever believe!
As a train pulls up to a station platform, the conductor will lean out the window and point to a specifically placed black and white board overhead. It’s a simple gesture that all conductors repeat at every single platform they stop at, but it’s crucial to the journey. Why?Emergency SOS On Smartphones
If you’re in trouble, calling the emergency services should put you at ease. But there are some situations where obviously reporting something can put you in danger of becoming a target. Fortunately, Apple has built a small feature into their iPhones to help you tiptoe around that exact situation.
Holding down the side button and one of the volume buttons of a model later than an iPhone 7 will bring up an "Emergency SOS" slider on screen. You can drag it across to call the emergency services or continue holding them down to do so automatically.Silent Protocol
If you’re trying not to draw attention to yourself calling the emergency services, there’s a good chance you might not want to be heard either. So how do you have a conversation over the phone without speaking?
Learn about the #SilentCallProcedure for 9-1-1 services in #MA : ow.ly/e6yV309urKA
Elevator Emergency Protocols
Imagine this: you live on the top floor of a 30 story building, and you’ve had a serious accident. You can’t move, but you’ve managed to call the emergency services. They’re trying to get to you as quickly as possible, but they have too much equipment to use the stairs. On top of that, some idiot in the elevator just hit all the buttons!
Tire Tread Wear Indicator
Throughout most of the United States and Europe, it’s a legal requirement that road using cars have tires with a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm, which is only slightly thicker than a penny. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but tires worn down lower than that put you at a major risk of skidding out of control when you slam on those brakes!
But without taking a costly trip to the garage, how can you tell that it’s time to change your tires? It’s near impossible to judge such a small measurement by eye alone, and it’d be a pain to try and figure it out from a yard stick.Fortunately, most tires have a hidden feature that can save you hassle and your life! If you take a close look, you’ll find that your tires have tread wear indicators. Those are small, horizontal rubber bars that are evenly spaced across the central grooves. If the tread of your tire is level with those bumps, it’s time to get them changed pronto.
Did you know, all our tyres come with TWIs - Tread Wear Indicators? These help ensure you change your tyres when needed!
Secret Lock On Airplane Bathroom Door
The worst place to feel ill is possibly on an airplane. Small, cramped, and with no chance of getting off until you’ve arrived! But what if you lock yourself in the airplane lavatory and then suddenly faint? Or worse, have a heart attack? Considering those cubicles don’t have a master key opening, how are cabin crew meant to get to you? Or do you just have to wait until you land?
Fortunately, the brainiacs that designed some of those aircraft have thought all those scenarios through. At first glance, those metal "lavatory" signs don’t look out of the ordinary. But some of them are actually hiding a secondary override lock, designed to open the door from the outside to help passengers in need, should the worst happen to them on the mile high john!
Fire Hydrant Blue Reflectors
Driving along a stretch of American asphalt at night, you might spot the red, white, and yellow reflectors stretched along the road. But they’re not just there to look pretty! Yellow reflectors usually line the center of the road, white separates the lanes, and red indicates the edge of the road or that you’re going the wrong way!
But every now and again, a blue reflector might catch your eye, and unlike the others, its placement doesn’t seem to follow any kind of pattern. Yet as sporadic as their placement seems, they’re actually some of the most important reflectors of all! That’s because those tiny blue reflectors indicate to firefighters that there’s a hydrant nearby! And their placement on the road, which is usually left or right of the central line shows which side of the road it’s on. It saves the fire crews from scrabbling around in the dark trying to find the nearest hydrant, giving them more time to put out any fatal fires!
Brake Light Locks
Have you ever been out on the road in dark or bad weather, when all of a sudden a car in front of you with broken brake lights slammed to a halt? Most drivers will understand that that is one of the most terrifying and dangerous things that can happen out on the road.
Self-Expiring Medicine Packaging
Expiration dates are on just about everything, from food to makeup, and even medicine! But while eating something or applying a cream a few days out of date won’t kill you, expired medicine can cause a real headache. Once those pills hit that date, the manufacturer can no longer guarantee the potency or safety of the drug you’re taking.
Even worse, if they’re not labeled properly, they can be illegally sold on to vulnerable people! But who really looks at the expiration date on pill packets? Not enough of us, apparently, which is why the doctor and designer team of Gautam and Kanupriya Goel came up with an ingenious design for self expiring packaging.
Life-Saving Pen Lid Hole
There’s probably not a person alive who hasn’t used a Bic pen. While their ball point tip is a nifty innovation, the holes in their caps don’t seem as ingeniously designed. You've probably never given it much thought, or if you have, you've probably brushed it off as some random feature that stops the ink from drying out.
But it actually serves an unimaginably important purpose for all the avid pen chewers out there, reducing the risk of choking deaths! Accidentally swallowing a pen lid and getting it caught in your throat is a real risk, and roughly 100 people in the US die every year from doing so! Although that number use to be much, much higher, until Bic and other pen manufacturers introduced that life saving design in the early 1990’s. They added that small hole in the lid to allow air to pass through in the event they’re swallowed by curious kids or adult idiots! It’s just wide enough to let them breathe on their way to the emergency room! But seeing how unpleasant that sounds, maybe you should just resist the urge to put that pen cap in your mouth!
Why Lego Minifigures Have A Hole In Their Heads
Any parent will tell you that kids put just about anything they can get their tiny hands on in their mouths! It’s why toy boxes are usually plastered with those "recommended age" and "choking hazard" warnings. But sometimes kids are still able to get their hands on the tiniest, tastiest looking parts like Lego heads!
As it turns out, the tops of those iconic minifigures are apparently irresistible to little ones. But the designed at Lego have thankfully thought that through! Lego added in that strange little hole in the yellow heads in case a tiny tot ever got one caught in their throat.
