Outside of an automobile, I've only been in one situation that I thought could have life-threatening consequences. I was walking home from school, and I found myself a few feet away from a growling, angry-seeming dog that wasn't on a leash or behind a fence. I was very scared, because people really do die from dog attacks. I tried to implement what I remembered about how to deal with a dog that might potentially attack - don't look it in the eye, back away slowly, hold a coat or something (I had a backpack) in front of you between yourself and the dog to give it an attack target that isn't your body - but mostly I just stood there until, what seemed like a moment later, a woman who must have been the dog's owner appeared and called it away.

After that day, I stayed on the other side of the street when I walked home.