‘Sometimes ignorance is bliss!!’: Expert says you should never drive with pens in your pockets. Here’s why

A nurse educator is warning health care workers to ensure they secure their pens before driving. That's because driving with pens in your pockets can cause a traffic fatality.

“Just a PSA to all my healthcare workers or anybody that puts in their pockets, make sure you take this stuff out when you get in the car before you start driving,” TikTok user Omar Snoubar (@osnoubar) says in a video with more than 292,000 views.

He pulls out a black ink pen. This also applies to name badges as well. “Or name tags. Make sure to put them in a safe place while you drive,” he says. 

Why is he issuing this pen PSA?

This is personal to Omar. “We had a patient involved in a car wreck, the airbag went off. They had a pen in their pocket,” the content creator recalls, gesturing to the center of his chest. “It was inside their lung cavity where your lung is located.”

All in all, simply putting your pens in a safe place can prevent disaster. “I just wanted to put that out there as a reminder to everybody. Stay safe, drive safe, be careful.”

To drive the point, he reiterates in the caption, “Airbags are lifesaving, but they can also be harmful due to the sheer velocity that they are deployed. Putting this out there to make sure people are aware!”

Indeed, the nurse educator is correct. Not only can the pen puncture a lung but also your heart, according to First Aid For Life. In addition, lanyards can be a weapon of death, penetrating the chest and into the lungs. Keys connected to lanyards can obstruct the bowels and puncture holes in them.

Viewers are thankful for the PSA

“Oh my goodness. I am one of those people who leaves my pen and badge until I get home thank you good catch,” one viewer wrote.

“New fear unlocked cause I don’t drive but I’ve been in two accidents as a back seat passenger, one of which I was definitely coming from work with pens in my pocket & ID badge on,” a second stated.

A third user joked, “Sometimes ignorance is bliss!!”

Some users noted other potential safety hazards.

“Same with hair claw clips,” one user commented.

“Also sunglasses! It can [pierce] the eyes and cause blindness,” another added.

Can wearing hair claw clips and sunglasses be deadly?

Yes, they can. Fine Law Firm states that claw hair clips lead to “head, skull, neck and spine injury." The clip can become rooted into the skull and must be removed by a medical professional. 

With sunglasses, it can cause eye injury for two reasons. The first is compression. Because of the force of the airbag deployment, it can push the sunglasses into the eyes, resulting in “corneal abrasions, hyphemas (bleeding in the front of the eye), vitreous hemorrhages (bleeding in the back of the eye), and even retinal detachments,” per Rhoades & Rhodes Attorney at Law.

When the airbags inflate, they release different chemicals. If they enter the eyes, it will result in “chemical burns, corneal abrasions, and other forms of ocular irritation.”

Car airbags save 2,500 people every year and reduce fatalities by 34%. However, in some cases, they can injure or kill you, for example, malfunctions and sitting too close to the steering wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises drivers to have 10 inches of space between the steering wheel and their chest.

@osnoubar Airbags are lifesaving, but they can also be harmful due to the sheer velocity that they are deployed. Putting this out there to make sure people are aware! #psa ♬ original sound - Omar Snoubar

The Daily Dot reached out to Snoubar via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.

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