During the ’60s and ’70s, people used to live much differently than we do now. Doors were left unlocked, you would trust strangers with your kids, and small towns felt like a safe community.
Today, we live in a world full of dangers not only in the real world, but also in the virtual one. If you ever listen to the older generations and the way they lived and raised their kids, your stomach probably turns.
Here are some things people did in the ’60s and ’70s that would be considered wildly dangerous today.
1. Hitchhiking With Complete Strangers
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You needed a ride and could not afford or wait for a bus? Sticking your thumb out on the side of the road was a totally normal way to ask strangers to get you around.
All generations (teens included) hopped into cars with strangers, without a worry in mind. It was an easy and quick way to get to your desired destination.
However, after many such cases have proven to be quite dangerous, people would not even consider doing it today. I think all of us have seen enough True Crime to say ‘No’ if someone offers us a ride.
2. Smoking Literally Everywhere
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Imagine smoking around kids, pregnant women, and flammable materials today. It would result in a rage, even a lawsuit.
Back then, it was acceptable to smoke everywhere – airplanes, hospitals, restaurants, and even doctors’ offices. It was a norm, and they even provided ashtrays. People were not so familiar with the dangers of cigarettes, and it was seen as just another hobby.
Today, when we know how harmful they are, it is forbidden to smoke in many areas. If someone lit a cigarette in a hospital waiting room today, they would not have a fun time.
3. Riding in Cars With No Seatbelts
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Seatbelts were optional, and many did not even touch them for ages. Driving was considered an adventure, not something you had to be buckled in for.
Kids sat in laps, or on the floor, and nobody batted an eye. Talk about relaxed. After many years of terrible car accidents, people started realizing how dangerous it is not to use seat belts.
A family road trip today looks much different, but much safer.
4. Letting Kids Ride Bikes Without Helmets
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Riding bikes was seen as a casual activity for many children with no safety in mind. They used to speed down hills on banana-seat bikes with no pads, helmets, or adult supervision.
There was practically no kid on the block without scraped knees, and head injuries were just part of growing up.
In today’s world, adults are always supervising children riding bikes, and they are protected with helmets and other gear. It is definitely a much different world we live in today.
5. Drinking From the Garden Hose
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If you were a child playing outside all day, you had no time to go back home for a glass of water.
Whenever you saw a garden hose, you would drink from it, and nobody cared. Nobody cared about filters or chemicals.
We drank it warm, dirty, and full of mysterious minerals, and somehow lived. It begs a question: “Was it really that bad?”
Now, you’d get a warning label, parents would send you out with a bottle of filtered water, and you would even question the water springs.
6. Leaving Kids Alone in the Car – With the Windows Rolled Up
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Running into the store while your kids stayed in a hot car was pretty normal. They were left unbuckled, so they might’ve eaten snacks, climbed over the seats, waved at passersby, or accidentally honked the horn.
Today, people would call the police right away, especially if the child was in there for a long period of time – and for a good reason.
7. Lighting Fireworks With a Cigarette
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Want to celebrate a birthday and make it spectacular? No problem, hand me your cigarette. Adults (and sometimes kids) used their lit cigarettes to spark fireworks and/or bottle rockets.
Nobody thought about safety gear or distance; it was all just pure chaos that left many of us with burnt fingertips. Today, the Internet would go crazy about that practice, especially if children were around.
8. Riding in the Back of Pickup Trucks
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Who needed seats when you could just put your kids in the back of the truck and go? Belts? No, thanks. Kids stood, walked around, and bounced as the truck flew down the road.
It was a time when little things did not worry parents, and you could go anywhere in seconds, as there was no need to buckle everything and spend half an hour preparing for the trip.
9. Using Power Tools With No Safety Gear
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Another example of people not caring too much about safety includes dads in garages. They revved up chainsaws, drills, and circular saws in flip-flops and no goggles – and somehow survived.
Kids were watching and even helping their dads as sparks were flying everywhere. It was even considered rude to avoid these scenarios as a kid. You needed to be tough and to do whatever your parents needed you to, without complaints.
These dangerous scenarios were supposed to somehow make you tough and used to everything life throws at you.
Today, kids are far more protected and dads use much safer equipment because they learnt the hard way what not using one can lead to.
10. Letting Kids Roam the Neighborhood All Day
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Kids used to leave their homes early in the morning and come back late at night. Parents could not find out where their kids were all day, unless someone told them.
Kids were free, no phones, no check-ins. You would even eat at someone else’s home if you happened to be there during lunchtime.
Kids played all over the neighborhood, and parents somehow knew their kids were safe. Today, constant calls and check-ins are a must, and God forbid kids do not answer their phones more than once.
Parents would probably file a missing persons report right away.
11. No Sunscreen – Just Baby Oil and a Reflector
Everybody loved summer, and when the sun was shining, you simply had to make the most out of it. It meant no sunscreen, no protection, just pure vitamin D. For many, getting tanned was the goal, not the concern.
And if you were pale or did not see much sun during the year, you would use tanning reflectors and baby oil to basically cook your skin in the sun. Imagine doing that today, especially to your kids?
Dermatologists would cringe and probably tell you that you are a terrible parent.
12. Driving After “Just a Few Drinks”
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If you wanted to go for a drink during the ’60s and ’70s, you could go there driving your own car. You simply knew you would be coming back with it as well without any problems.
It was very common to hear someone say, “I’m fine, I’ve only had a couple of drinks.” Back then, DUIs were rare, and breathalyzers even rarer. It was weird to say that you would call a taxi to take you to a bar.
Today, even one drink can get you a ticket, and police are at every crossroad, especially during the weekends. DUIs are considered a crime and rightfully so.
I think we all learned from past mistakes that sometimes it is better to have some control and rules.
13. Giving Babies… Pretty Much Anything
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As much as we are overly protective of our babies today, back in the day, parents did not ‘care’ about their safety that much. Relaxed approach to parenting simply was the norm, and people did not worry that certain things were harmful to babies.
Imagine soda in bottles and walkers with wheels on staircases; baby safety was a wild guessing game. Also, you would leave your baby with anyone, from friends and family, to a neighbor’s student daughter, as long as it was fed and warm, it was okay.
Parents would hire babysitters who had almost no background checks or experience and leave for a night out (without any worries).
Cribs were not as safe either, and car seats (if you happened to have them) were quite literally foam buckets.
Today, parents would lose their minds seeing someone do this to a baby, but it was simply normal back then.
