Driving with a claw clip: what the reports say

A hard claw clip at the back of your head can be pushed into your scalp if your head is thrown against something in a crash. News outlets have reported a small number of such injuries since 2023. We found no official statistics on how often it happens, so the cautious habit is simple: take the clip out, or move it, before you drive.

Claw clip car accident reports

The reporting we could verify comes from a few first-person accounts shared on social media, most of them in early 2023.

• An off-road vehicle in the US. BuzzFeed News reported that a woman riding in the vehicle was thrown back into a metal pole during a sharp turn, which pushed her claw clip into her scalp. The cut needed five staples. Outlets describe the vehicle differently.
• A car crash in England. A 19-year-old's car hit a tree and flipped, and the roof came down on her head. The regional outlet CoventryLive reported that the clip was embedded in the back of her head until a nurse removed it. She spent three days in hospital while surgeons cleaned and stitched the wound. Six weeks later she still could not move one eyebrow.
• A minor rear-end collision in California. No scalp wound. A woman told BuzzFeed News that she and a friend, both wearing claw clips, had headaches and neck pain for a few days, and that she believed the clips played a part. That is her view, not a medical finding.

What doctors have said

The main medical voice in this coverage is Dr. J. Mack Slaughter, an emergency physician in Texas. He told NewsNation that there was no medical literature on this type of injury, and that viral videos can give a false impression of how dangerous or how common it is.

He asked colleagues what they had seen. According to BuzzFeed News, other emergency physicians in his state had personally seen a couple of cases. The neurosurgeons he spoke to had not treated any, because the cases were not severe enough to reach them. He knew of no case in which a clip had penetrated the skull, and he said these wounds can usually be treated in the emergency room.

His advice was still plain. "I would take that claw clip out before I get in the car," he told NewsNation.

BuzzFeed News also noted that social media claims of deaths caused by claw clips had no evidence behind them.

What is not known

• How often it happens. We found no official count from a transport agency or a hospital system. Asking colleagues is not a study.
• Whether size, shape or material changes the outcome. Dr. Slaughter reasoned that a clip's shape and stiffness could affect how force reaches the head. That was his reasoning in an interview. None of the reports cites crash testing of hair accessories.
• Whether moving the clip helps, and by how much. It is a sensible precaution. It has not been measured.

In short: the injury is real, the reported cases are few, and the size of the risk has not been measured.

Driving with a claw clip: what to do

• Take a hard clip out before you set off. This is the only step that removes the object. Drop it in your bag or the door pocket.
• Or move it away from the back of your head. The back of the head is what meets the head restraint when you are pushed back in your seat. A clip worn higher or to the side is out of that contact area. It is not out of harm's way. In the English case, the roof came down on the driver's head.
• Wear your hair down or in a soft tie. A fabric scrunchie has no rigid parts. BuzzFeed News gives the same advice.
• Do the same as a passenger. The same reasoning applies in any seat.
• Clip it back in when you arrive. It takes a few seconds. How to use a claw clip covers the basic twist, and claw clip hairstyles has quick options.

Flat claw clips: comfort, not protection

A flat claw clip sits closer to the head than a standard one. That makes it more comfortable against a seat back or a head restraint.

That is a comfort point and nothing more. No evidence shows that a flat clip, or any clip shape, is safer in a crash. It is still a hard object between your head and whatever your head hits. Do not rely on the shape of a clip for protection.

Sleeping in a claw clip

We found no reporting or data on injuries from sleeping in a claw clip. The reasons to take it out are practical.

• You cannot control how you lie once you are asleep. A hard clip under your head presses its teeth and body into your scalp.
• The hair stays twisted and under tension for hours. The American Academy of Dermatology says styles that keep pulling on the hair can lead to breakage. See are claw clips bad for your hair.

If you want your hair contained overnight, a loose braid or a soft tie does the job without a rigid part.

Questions

Can a claw clip go through your skull in a car accident?

The reported injuries are wounds to the scalp. The emergency physician quoted by BuzzFeed News said he knew of no case in which a clip had penetrated the skull, and that it would take a lot of force. A scalp wound can still be serious, as the case in England shows.

How common are claw clip injuries in car accidents?

Nobody has published a figure that we could find. The doctor quoted by NewsNation said he saw no trend of such injuries. The known cases are individual accounts.

Is a flat claw clip safer for driving?

There is no evidence that it is. It is more comfortable against a seat because it sits closer to the head. Treat it like any hard clip in the car.

What can I wear in my hair in the car instead?

Hair down, or a soft fabric tie with no rigid parts. Keep your clip within reach and put it in when you park.