Why do people who fall on escalators tumble over and over? I’ve seen several videos where young and old alike can’t seem to regain balance once it starts, also looks very dangerous.
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There is a lot of selection bias at work in your observations. Most healthy, reasonably coordinated people won’t have trouble keeping their balance on an escalator. Of those who do trip or stumble the likely result is bumping their shin or skinning a knee. However if that is all that happens what do you think the chance is that someone would bother pulling security tapes and recording a video? How likely is that video to make it to you?
Instead the only videos that are likely to exist and make it into your view are those where someone tumbles on an escalator for an extended time. People sometimes fall down flights of stairs as well so it is hardly *unique* that such falls occur on escalators, but the impression that this is somehow common or that escalators are particularly dangerous in this regard is probably due to this selection bias.
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