accidents waiting to happen
Foreseeable catastrophes brewing
Accidents waiting to happen are people or situations so prone to mishap that disaster seems inevitable.
The phrase describes obvious hazards that haven't yet caused harm but surely will: That rickety ladder is an accident waiting to happen.
Applied to people, it suggests recklessness or incompetence: He's an accident waiting to happen behind the wheel.
- ticking time bombLooming inevitable disaster
- distracted drivingVehicle control while mentally elsewhere
- cutting cornersReducing effort improperly
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- blind spotArea of blocked perception
recipe for disaster · fatigue · negligence · recklessness · substance abuse · complacency · earthquakes · landslides · house of cards · powder keg · loose cannon · train wreck · mismanagement · red flags · near miss · floods · miscommunication · wildfires
accidents waiting to happensafe bets
Likely winning wagers
safe as houses · sure things · safe havens · safety zones · safeguards
accidents waiting to happensteady states
Unchanging system configurations over time
accidents waiting to happenwell-oiled machines
Systems functioning without friction
best practices · preventive measures · calculated risks · contingency plans
accident, accidents, accidental, accidentally, waited, waiting, waiter, waitress, awaited