When you think of household hazards, you think of chemicals under the sink, and maybe dangerous appliances. But one of the largest objects in your home is also one of the most dangerous: your garage door.
Older models in particular can be a safety risk, and especially if you have small children or pets. The older models are not outfitted with today's standard of automatic reversal when there is an obstruction.
To test if your garage door has this feature, and to make sure that it is operating correctly, place a roll of paper towels underneath where the door will land, and then tell the door to lower. When the door touches the towels, it should automatically start going up again. If it doesn't do this, you should have it checked and probably have someone get you a new upgrade of the safety feature.
Another feature that high-tech garage doors have is the electric eye, which instead of relying on pressure to tell it when to reverse, uses lasers to detect motion in the door's path.
And don't forget, another safety issue can arise if you are trying to fix your garage door on your own. Garage doors generally operate using torsion springs, and they are under an enormous amount of pressure. If you're not a professional, you probably shouldn't try to adjust them on your own.