For the first time in U.S. history, a leading cause of deaths, vehicle crashes, has been surpassed in likelihood by opioid overdoses, according to a new report on preventable deaths from the National Safety Council.
Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to the council’s analysis of 2017 data on accidental death. The probability of dying in a motor vehicle crash is 1 in 103.
“The nation’s opioid crisis is fueling the Council’s grim probabilities, and that crisis is worsening with an influx of illicit fentanyl,” the council said in a statement released Monday.
Fentanyl is now the drug most often responsible for drug overdose deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December. And that may only be a partial view of the problem: Opioid-related overdoses have also been under-counted by as much as 35 percent, according to a study published last year in the journal Addiction.
The council has recommended tackling the epidemic by increasing pain management training for opioid prescribers, making the potentially-lifesaving drug naloxone more widely available and expanding access to addiction treatment.
While the leading causes of death in the U.S. are heart disease (1 in 6 chance) and cancer (1 in 7), the rising overdose numbers are part of distressing trend the non-profit has tracked: The lifetime odds of an American dying from a preventable, unintentional injury have gone up over the past 15 years.
“It is impacting our workforce, it is impacting our fathers and mothers who are still raising their children,” said Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics at the National Safety Council. Kolosh said that those accidental deaths usually affect people in the “core of their life,” with greater financial and emotional ramifications than deaths of those in their later years.
Vehicle crashes remain a leading danger as well. Kolosh said half of people who died in crashes they analyzed were not wearing seatbelts. Meanwhile, the frequency of pedestrian deaths has increased, led by a jump in fatalities in urban areas.
Pedestrian deaths have been at a 25-year high, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. A 2017 study found that an average of 13 people a day were killed by cars between 2005 and 2014, and that people of color and the elderly are disproportionately at risk.
“Historically, roadways have been designed to make it as efficient as possible for the vehicle,” Kolosh said, noting that bicyclists and pedestrians have been shortchanged. “We now have to do a far better job of building our infrastructure to accommodate all road users.”
Kolosh said he hopes the council’s analysis will allay unfounded fears, and remind people of more common dangers.
“As human beings, we’re terrible at assessing our own risk,” Kolosh said. “We typically focus on the unusual or scary events … and assume that those are the riskiest.”
He said data show the opposite is true.
For example, an American’s likelihood of dying in a “cataclysmic storm” is just 1 in 31,394.
Dying as an airplane passenger? 1 in 188,364.
In a train wreck? 1 in 243,765.
Falling? 1 in 114.
Kolosh said the probability of dying in a fall has increased (it was 1 in 119 last year), driven by more recorded falls among older adults as the U.S. population ages. Experts say the best way to prevent that risk is exercise. It’s a reminder, Kolosh said, that each of the 169,936 preventable deaths recorded in 2017 were preventable.
“Your odds of dying are one-in-one,” Kolosh quipped. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do something. If, as a society, we put the appropriate rules and regulations in place we can prevent all accidental deaths in the future.”
I don’t have a 1 in 96 chance of dying of an overdose. I don’t even have a 1 in 8,000,000,000 chance of dying of an overdose. You know why? BECAUSE I DON’T ABUSE DRUGS.
Dave Frick same for me Dave, same for me
Dave Frick statistics don’t lie..shit you have a 1 in 56 chance if having a child with some kind of special need..proven stat too…and you are _____ to deny that?
Scott A Barnes The statistic is nonsense. I’m sure there’s a number for how likely we are to die in a car accident too, right? But what about someone who lives in a NYC and always walks or takes the train and almost never gets in a car… Do they have the same odds as say, someone who lives in the Toms River, has to drive 5 miles just to buy milk, and has a 90 minute GSP/Turnpike commute twice a day because they work in NYC? If you almost never take an opiate, and get them from legit sources and take them only as prescribed when you do, your ass isn’t going to OD, period.
They should make Opioids Illegal!!!! It works for Guns, Welfare Fraud, Political Bribery, and Theft/Murder/Robbery….etc etc etc..
Vincent Barletto so how should we treat patients dying of cancer who are suffering in pain? What if you broke your hip or spine? I hope you never need anything stronger than Tylenol. That was a terrible suggestion.
Vincent Barletto sorry….I just got your sarcasm!
Statistically, there’s a 0% chance of dying from an OD if you just make the choice to not shoot heroin. Elimination of problems by default. You’re welcome.
You don’t have to shoot heroin to die from a drug overdose they are putting fentanyl in every drug, including prescription pills being pressed, and it’s strong enough to kill without IV use. There have been many OD deaths of plenty of people who didn’t choose to shoot heroin.
I’ll just keep buying my Tylenol at Rite Aid instead of on a corner in South toms river and i should be good. Thanks for the concern tho ?
Tara Holland Yeah fentanyl is in STREET pills. I shop for my meds at Walgreens, not flop houses.
Dave Frick I just think ignorance is no excuse for having your facts wrong.
Christopher John Karbownik some know everything lol
Pat Lorraine Durante not him
Me, out loud, at work: “WHAT?!”
All these people talking about THEIR likelihood of drug overdose deaths… Seem to misunderstand how this statistic is calculated. ?
Or you’re just trying to post your funnies. ?♀️
Steph VanPelt or not funnies…like some who think they’re experts
All of you saying that you will never OD. I don’t know how you can say that. You never know what might have fentinel or something like it that can permeate skin. If you drink one cup of coffee from Starbucks you are just below caffeine toxicity. If you take more Tylenol that what it says on the side of the bottle that is a OD.
Matthew William Burtis stay in school.
I will never Od and thats a Fact
Imma leave this here Matthew. And stay out of my PMs.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fentanyl/risk.html
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fentanyl/risk.html
Imma leave this here Matthew. And stay out of my PMs.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fentanyl/risk.html
Brian Murray congrats on being able to use Google.
Brian Murray well don’t insult others n not expecting clap back
Think possibility and probability are getting crossed up
On a lighter side…….this could be reflecting that traffic safety is up!
I have never abused drugs and i have never taken pharmaceuticals not prescribed to me. I am also a chronic pain sufferer. I work full time and i do not take opioid meds. I am not not condemning any one who takes legitimately prescribed medication. Pain is nothing to joke about. Tylenol/advil is not strong enough to even touch the pain. It is debilitating at times. Many nights I scream for hours. Opioids dont really do anything except make me sleepy, so i decided against them. I had a legitimate prescription and i stopped getting it filled. My condition isn’t acute, its lifelong. I didnt want to be on opioids for life. What happens is eventually your body builds up a tolerance, and a lot of times people develop a dependency. Eventually the drs will stop prescribing it and you are dependent. This is why people turn to the street. I could say oh it would never happen to me, i would never be a drug addict. But in all honesty im not immune, none of us are. I never set out to become an addict but i see how easily that could happen. So I dont want to judge. I live with agonizing pain it doesn’t make me a better person for choosing not to take pain pills. Im just saying i understand why people do.
Your satanic dude let people move on. You trump nut
Devin Hastie