A WARNING about driving while wearing a lanyard has been shared across the country after two serious incidents which left one woman in hospital for six weeks.

Officers in Dorset have urged drivers not to wear their company lanyard or pass when they are in the car after one woman perforated her bowel during a car crash and another suffered a collapsed lung.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "There have been a couple of serious traffic accidents of note 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."

As reported by the Daily Echo, one driver was involved in a minor car accident and was wearing their company lanyard and pass.

The car airbag was triggered 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 requiring hospital treatment.

The spokesman added: "Had the person not been wearing their lanyard and pass at the time, they would have most likely walked away relatively unscathed.

"In another accident, an 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 more than six weeks and she has been off work now for six months."

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Advice from police is to remove your lanyards/ staff passes when leaving the office for both 'safety and security reasons' and especially while driving.

They add to use breakaway lanyards, where possible, that will unclip themselves if caught or stuck.