A popular hair accessory is raising serious safety concerns among emergency room doctors and nurses — and it’s one that millions of people wear every day.
In a viral discussion on Threads, hundreds of ER doctors and nurses revealed the everyday activities and items they would never risk using themselves after witnessing the injuries they can cause.
Some of their warnings were hardly surprising. Many said they would never ride a motorcycle, especially without a helmet, allow their children to jump on a trampoline without protective netting, or speed through busy streets on an electric scooter.
But one unexpected warning caught everyone’s attention: Never wear a claw hair clip, especially while driving.
Claw clips have been a go-to accessory for effortless messy buns and quick updos since the 1980s. Thanks to the resurgence of vintage fashion and Y2K trends, these once-retro hair accessories have made a major comeback among Gen Z.
Celebrities in their 20s, including Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, have helped fuel the trend by sporting the popular tooth-shaped clips. The accessories are available at almost every price point, from affordable $4 options at Walmart to luxury designer versions costing as much as $750 at Prada.
Despite their popularity and convenience, ER professionals warn that these seemingly harmless hair accessories can become dangerous during accidents, potentially causing serious head injuries.
Hailey Bieber has been spotted wearing a baby pink claw clip, highlighting the hair accessory’s growing popularity among Gen Z.
However, medical professionals warn that the fashionable hair accessory may pose serious safety risks, particularly during car accidents.
Dr. Dorieann O’Leary explained in an Instagram video that claw clips can cause significant injuries when worn while driving.
“Claw clips have the potential to cause injury during road traffic accidents. If our head is forcefully propelled back into the headrest, metal claw clips can cause head, neck and scalp injuries,” she explained.
“They can become lodged in the scalp, cause lacerations and need surgical removal,” the doctor added.
A retired intensive care unit (ICU) nurse echoed the warning, claiming that during a car crash, claw clips can become embedded in a person’s skull.
Another medical professional, who identified themselves as a death investigator, shared a similar concern in the viral Threads discussion.
“Death investigator here,” the commenter wrote. “I will never wear claw clips while driving.”
The warnings have sparked concerns about the potential dangers of wearing claw clips in cars, especially since the accessories sit directly against the back of the head, where they may come into contact with a vehicle’s headrest during a collision.
In 2023, a young British woman suffered serious head injuries after her claw hair clip became embedded in her skull during a car accident, highlighting the potential dangers of wearing the popular accessory while driving.
The safety concerns have also prompted parents to reconsider allowing their children to wear claw clips in vehicles.
A cemetery worker joined the online discussion, writing, “My daughter is eight and really likes claw clips. I won’t let her wear them in the car.”
One of the most alarming incidents involved Jeena Panesar, a 19-year-old British college student who sustained severe injuries to her skull, face and eye sockets in 2023.
Panesar was driving along a rural road when her vehicle overturned, causing the claw clip in her hair to dig into her head and inflict serious injuries.
A similar incident occurred in Australia in 2025, when 22-year-old fashion influencer Ella Carter suffered a severe concussion after her plastic claw clip caused an injury during a car accident.
Carter later told her social media followers that doctors believed the outcome could have been fatal if she had been wearing a metal claw clip instead.
Despite the frightening experience, the influencer was reportedly well enough to record a TikTok video while being transported in an ambulance.
But though the clips are convenient and super-cute, it’s tough to make a life-threatening head injury seem chic.
