Virtual reality headsets are a lot of fun. They can also be quite terrifying or thrilling, depending on the game or experience to which you connect the headset. Unfortunately, too many people are attempting to combine virtual reality with reality these days, with disastrous results. Here are five things you should not do with virtual reality headsets and why.

Driving a Car

While this should be a no-brainer, it is the no-brainers that have tried it, much to the chagrin of the companies that made the headsets these people have worn. While it has proven to be an effective tool at teaching young drivers about inattentive driving and car crashes and calibrating real race tracks with drivers essentially driving and racing blind, you should never, EVER drive with a VR headset on in real life. It is considered "inattentive driving" by the police, and any accident you can receive tickets, fines, and even possibly lawsuits.

Bathing

Of course you would never shower with a headset on, but what about baths? Why would you not play some sort of fun and relaxing game while soaking in the tub? Because you could accidentally drop the headset in the water and destroy it. Then you would be out hundreds, possibly a grand, for that headset. Even if you opt for the cardboard version, dropping it in the tub means you just dropped your smartphone in the tub, and there you go. 

Preparing a Meal

Wow. Imagine chopping vegetables or attempting to feel for a hot stove while traversing a foreign virtual reality world. It sounds cool, does it not? However, this can result in a very immediate visit to the emergency room as the direct result of chopping or cutting your hand and/or burning your flesh. Not worth the risk, and definitely not a good idea.

Entertainment in a Crowded or Cluttered Room

In a new take on the old "listen to football games while sitting in church" idea, some people are attempting to avoid socialization by using VR headsets in crowded rooms. (You should have a good criminal defense lawyer on retainer, because you may assault someone accidentally while trying to use VR in a crowded room. Many of the required movements in the software for VR headsets have you move your upper body a lot, and you are moving blindly about in this crowded room.) Worse yet, attempting VR in a room crowded with junk will definitely result in personal injury, and that is completely on you.

Eating

If you attempt to eat while VR-ing, you have a lot more problems than just burning your mouth. First and foremost, you are not seeing what you are eating. It is a proven fact that those who sit in front of a TV and/or game console while eating often experience increased hunger. Your brain does not see that you are eating, and therefore does not get the message that nutrients are on the way. You may also eat more as your senses are heightened during game play. The reality of virtual reality while eating is that you may not like what you see in the mirror every morning after a while.

The RIGHT Way to Enjoy VR

Virtual reality is entertainment. Yes, you can enjoy it, but there is a right way and (obviously) lots of wrong ways to do so. The ideal and correct way is to find a place to sit down where there is nothing in your path that you can bump into or trip over. You should also have plenty of room to move if you are going to play a shooter game or do a virtual reality workout. Other programs just bring scenes into view that encourage you to reach out and touch objects, in which case, sitting in a chair or on a couch is perfect.