Wearing a lanyard could be the difference between a collapsed lung and walking away relatively unscathed from a car crash, an online appeal has warned.
Taking to Facebook Dorset Police Volunteers have urged drivers to remove their over-the-neck work passes before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
The post, now shared by 14,000 people, details incidents where crash victims have sustained far worse injuries than they would have if they had not been wearing a lanyard, reports Somerset Live.
The post reads: "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.
"This type of accident is fortunately unlikely, however staff, officers and volunteers should be aware of the hazard and how to avoid it.
"One driver was involved in a minor car accident and was wearing their company lanyard and pass.
"The car airbag was deployed on impact and the force of the airbag caused the lanyard and pass to be pushed into the driver's chest, causing a lung to collapse and hospital treatment required.
"Had the person not been wearing their lanyard and pass at the time, they would have most likely walked away relatively unscathed.
The post went on to say: "In another accident, a NHS worker stored a lot of keys on her lanyard for medicine cabinets, lockers etc.
"She got into her car and was driving home, but did not remove her lanyard. Unfortunately she also had a crash that triggered the airbag.
"The force of the airbag caused the keys to perforate her bowel; she was in hospital for over 6 weeks and she has been off work now for 6 months.
The post concludes with police strongly advising people remove their lanyards when leaving the office for safety and security reasons, but also to prevent other driving incidents from occuring.
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