How driving with your work lanyard around your neck could see you seriously injured in an accident

MOTORISTS risk serious injury if they drive with a lanyard around their neck. If you’re involved in an accident, you could be struck by the lanyard at high speed or have it compressed into your body when the airbag is deployed. Following a string of serious crashes, police have issued a warning to drivers to […]

MOTORISTS risk serious injury if they drive with a lanyard around their neck.

If you’re involved in an accident, you could be struck by the lanyard at high speed or have it compressed into your body when the airbag is deployed.

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Following a string of serious crashes, police have issued a warning to drivers to remove lanyards holding work passes and keys before taking off.

In one accident, a driver who was wearing their work pass around their neck sustained a collapsed lung when the lanyard was pressed into their chest by the airbag.

And according to police, this serious injury could have easily been avoided if the motorist simply removed their lanyard.

In a Facebook post, Dorset Police said: “There have been a couple of serious traffic accidents of note (not within Dorset Police) where the wearing of identity lanyards around the drivers’ necks has exacerbated the severity of the injuries sustained.

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“This type of accident is fortunately unlikely, however staff, officers and volunteers should be aware of the hazard and how to avoid it.”

Another driver, who works for the NHS, suffered a perforated bowel when their work keys attached to her lanyard slammed into her body during a crash.

She was then forced to stay in hospital for six weeks and couldn’t go back to work for six months.

Following her accident, staff at Public Health Wales and a local school were urged to remove their lanyards before getting behind the wheel.

Tim Harrison, chair of the NHS Wales Health and Safety Management Steering Group, said: “Following some traffic accidents across the UK where the wearing of identity lanyards has exacerbated the severity of the injuries sustained, we have taken the step to ensure NHS Wales staff are aware of the hazard.

“This type of accident is unlikely, but we hope by raising awareness of the potential risk, NHS Wales staff who routinely wear these for work will remove their lanyard when travelling in a vehicle.”