After a mother was crushed to death by an escalator in China last week, paranoia has spread across the country, resulting in people using extreme caution when riding them. Thanks to this, some pretty bizarre pics (and a video) of people attempting to avoid the ‘danger zone’ (ie the flat metal bit where you step off the escalator) have started going up online.
From planking across the entire thing to going for the ‘on all fours’ pose (resting your hands and feet on either side of the rail) – who knew there were so many ways to exit/ride an escalator?
Other escalator-riders have gone for less extreme measures by tapping their foot or umbrella on the flat plate to see if it will collapse. Some have even decided to mix their gym workout with the process of proceeding to another floor by doing a long-style jump over the plate.
Less show-offy riders/people who have time, slowly get off the escalator and edge around the floor plate as though they’re walking on a tight rope. This method works pretty well in off-peak escalator times, although if you’ve got the paranoia too, we’d recommend the jumping one because then you won’t be crushed against a wall when you’re commuting.
From China’s past history of escalator fatals, it’s no surprise people are avoiding them. In the past five years, two children have been killed by escalator calamities, along with an incident where 20 people were injured when an escalator reversed direction during rush hour on the underground in Beijing.
And with this recent disaster, which saw a mother push her son to safety as she was swallowed by the esculator after the floor plate collapsed, it’s hard not to be paranoid.
Hopefully, after this recent disaster, the Chinese government will do more to make sure escalators are safe.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.