The many perils of life in London

I've been in London for just a few days and already I'm running scared. It's not the kind of place that seems dangerous on the surface - not the neighborhoods I'm frequenting. In fact, on the surface it seems pretty cosmopolitan, rich and reserved. But there are serious dangers lurking beneath this veneer of civility and all you have to do is read the signs in your hotel room or ride the tube to expose them. Case in point. I've stayed in many hotels in many cities around the world and other than a stray papercut here and there, I can honestly say I have never sustained a serious injury at the hand of my hotel. However, this hotel has a heated towel rack and the sign above it that warns "caution: hot towel rack can cause serious burns and other damage" has me taking note. I'm fairly certain I'm safe from this peril since I have never figured out how to turn a towel rack on. Thank goodness for my ineptitude - I may not have lasted this long without it.

The tube is another story. How many underground trains in how many countries have I successfully navigated? Enough to be caught off guard by the looping recording of "mind the gap" that drones on in most stations as you wait for the train to arrive. Is this a warning against hurling myself onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train? Surely every one of us knows that this would result in serious injury or death. Is this a warning against slipping and inadvertently wedging a foot between the edge of the platform and the train? This seemed more likely but after due consideration I decided that it would take considerable effort to achieve this kind of wedging. It would require assistance from one or more parties. It can't happen often. But clearly there's a reason for the warning, something that makes this underground train system more perilous than all others, some lurking danger just waiting for an unsuspecting victim. Still, I think the British transit authority should take the opportunity to warn people of real dangers. "Lack of proper dental care will result in loss of teeth."