• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
The scary reason behind escalators having brushes on the side

Home> News> World News

Published 15:54 28 Jan 2024 GMT

The scary reason behind escalators having brushes on the side

Stairs, anyone?

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

Not to ruin something else for you, but there's a scary reasons behind why escalators having brushes on either side and I know it, so now you have to as well.

With escalators being pretty much commonplace in the likes of shopping centres, airports and train stations, most of us don't think too much about how they're made.

Equally, we don't think about how dangerous they could actually be if something were to go wrong.

Advert

But, there's a lot that goes into an escalator, including lots of safety features.

After all, some of them are pretty long - just look at the escalator in Angel tube station in London, which is a whopping 60 metres.

You might not have thought too much about it, but have you ever wondered what the brushes on the side of an escalator are actually for?

Well, you're about to find out:

The bristles act as a safety feature, which help stop other accidents from happening.

The 'safety brushes' are there to keep things like your shoes and clothing from getting stuck between the balustrade skirt and the moving stairs.

Advert

If they weren't there, there would be a high chance of your clothes getting stuck in the moving escalator, which is the last thing you want when you're rushing through the tube station on your morning commute.

Yet, the brushes themselves are actually more of a psychological deterrent rather than a physical one.

How you ask?

Ever wondered what the brushes are on escalators?
xizeng lu/Getty Images

Well, when we feel a brush moving against our leg or clothing, we will instinctively move it away preventing it from getting snagged on the escalator.

Advert

TikTok account 'Untold Facts' also clarified why the bristles are so important, adding: "One of the biggest reasons for escalator mishaps is people getting their clothes and bags stuck in them when they stand too close to the sides."

People took to the comments to share their experience.

One viewer commented: "I got my floor length dress caught in an escalator and it left oil/grease stains on it that I could never remove."

"Only recently my hubby helped a lady who got her skirt stuck on the escalator," another added.

Escalators have lots of safety features but it doesn't stop people getting caught every now and then.
EschCollection/Getty Images

Advert

As a third commented: "Escalators scare the s**t out of me to this day.

"My kids laugh at me because i take the stairs!"

There have been some pretty terrifying stories about escalators over the years.

Back in 2018, a man named Mehmet Ali Erik got swallowed up by a faulty escalator at the Ayazaga Metro station in Istanbul, Turkey.

Initially, the escalator in question wasn't moving, but soon after Mehmet steps onto the stairs, the escalator starts up again.

Advert

Instead of working properly, the whole thing collapses, sending most people on it tumbling down to the bottom.

According to Metro, he was reportedly trapped beneath the metal stairs for an hour before he was rescued, but only suffered minor injuries.

This is enough to make us always take the stairs, tbh.

Featured Image Credit: Flickr

Topics: News, Travel

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
19 hours ago
  • Alex Wong/Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    Trump announces plan to put tariffs on UK and other European countries over Greenland

    The US leader is not backing down over his desire to own Greenland

    News
  • Richland Police Department
    19 hours ago

    Man taunted police by commenting on his own wanted poster on Facebook

    A simple wanted poster turned into a viral saga between a police station and a wanted man

    News
  • ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images
    19 hours ago

    Inventor of ‘suicide pod’ shares new design that will let couples end lives together

    It's a very controversial invention, to say the least

    News
  • DM Trott
    19 hours ago

    Man who's done 182 drugs says one was ‘absolutely horrific’

    He's had a lot of bad experiences but this might have been the worst

    News
  • Air India boss hits back at 'speculation' over reason behind fatal crash as he gives major update on plane
  • The internet is calling this the 'defining' photo of Trump's presidency for one scary reason
  • Woman faces arrest after having heart attack by pool on holiday
  • Doctor explains morbid reason behind ‘free ice cream parties’ when someone dies on a cruise ship