Vehicle crashes have been surpassed in likelihood for cause of death in the United States the first time on record, according to the National Safety Council. National Safety Council. Americans are now more likely to die of an opioid overdose than a car crash.
According to the report, Americans now have a 1 in 96 lifetime chance of dying from an opioid overdose. The probability of dying in a motor vehicle crash is 1 in 103. Heart disease tops the list, with a 1 in 6 lifetime chance.
The council said that drug poisoning is now the No. 1 cause of unintentional death in the United States, with more than 100 people dying from opioid drugs every day. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February that Fentanyl was now the drug most often responsible for drug overdose deaths. The synthetic opioid surpassed heroin, which had been the leading cause of drug deaths from 2012-2015.
The National Safety Council also mentioned prescription opioid painkillers as a risk for opioid addiction. The council recommended better management training for opioid prescribers to fight the growing epidemic.