The Hair Accessory You Should Never Wear in the Car and Here’s Why
There are plenty of things to think about when we’re getting into the car. Do we have our water bottle? Our phone? Maybe a few snacks if we’re heading out on a longer trip? But one thing most of us probably don’t stop to think about is the accessory in our hair.
Recently, the New York Post shared a story about the potential dangers of wearing claw clips in the car, including warnings from emergency room doctors and nurses about the injuries they’ve seen when these hard plastic accessories are driven into the back of someone’s head during an accident.
It may sound like one of those warnings that’s easy to brush off. But this one immediately got my attention because I’ve learned the lesson firsthand.
Not once, but twice.
Why I Never Wear a Claw Clip in the Car Anymore
The first time it happened was in 2018. I was stopped at a traffic light, waiting for cross traffic to finish passing before proceeding. When the light changed, a 16-year-old driver behind me hit the gas and slammed into the back of my car in a full-size Ford Expedition.
Thankfully, I was driving a hefty Chrysler 300, which absorbed much of the impact, although the car still sustained about $12,000 in damage.
I was on my way to work that morning, with my long hair pulled up in a plastic claw clip. When my head was thrown backward from the impact, the clip hit the headrest.
In this instance, I was actually lucky. The clip shattered into what felt like a million little pieces instead of being driven into my scalp.
You’d think that would have been enough for me never to wear one in the car again.
Apparently, I needed to learn this lesson twice.
The Second Accident Was Much More Painful
Fast-forward to 2025. I was living in Florida and once again sitting at a traffic light when a distracted young driver failed to stop at the red light and plowed into the back of my car.
My husband and I were heading out for massages that morning, and once again I had pulled my hair up in a plastic claw clip.
This time, the clip didn’t shatter.
It dug deeply into my scalp.
For more than a week, I had a big lump on the back of my head along with significant bruising and pain. Beyond everything else that comes with being rear-ended, I was dealing with an injury that could have been avoided simply by wearing my hair differently.
The particularly ridiculous part? Just a few weeks earlier, I had been driving down that same road with a friend who was visiting and told her about my first accident. We had specifically talked about how bad an idea it was to wear a claw clip in the car.
Yet that morning, I wasn’t thinking about it. Or perhaps I’m just a little bit of a slow learner.
Either way, I paid the price.
A Former Paramedic Gave Me a Warning I Haven’t Forgotten
After the accident, my husband and I were having lunch at a restaurant we visit regularly, and I told our waitress what had happened. She had previously worked as a paramedic, and when she heard about the claw clip, she immediately told me not to make that mistake again.
She shared that during her time as a paramedic, she frequently encountered injuries involving hair clips in vehicle accidents and highlighted the risk of metal clips because of their potential to cause even more serious injuries.
Her warning stuck with me, especially after I’d just experienced firsthand how much damage an ordinary plastic clip could cause.
And that’s when I finally stopped wearing claw clips in the car.
What I Do With My Hair in the Car Now
I haven’t completely given up claw clips. I still keep one attached to the side of my bag for those moments when I want to pull my hair up quickly and don’t have anything else handy.
But I don’t ride with one pressed against the back of my head.
Instead, I’ve switched almost exclusively to soft hair ties when I’m in the car, so I don’t have to worry about making the same mistake again.
A claw clip injury is one of those things most of us probably assume won’t happen to us. I certainly never expected it to happen to me, and I definitely didn’t expect it to happen twice.
So whether it’s you, your teenager, or someone else you love, taking a hard hair accessory out before getting on the road is worth remembering.
After all, being rear-ended is painful enough. No one needs a claw clip adding another injury to the experience.
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Nothing I would ever think about. Glad you brought up the subject
The sort of stuff you never think about. I thankfully stopped wearing them cuz they were always digging into my head, never even considered they could be downright dangerous in a car accident