Ominous New Stat on Opioid Deaths Released

Americans have greater chance of dying of an overdose than in a car crash

By Newser Editors, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 14, 2019 9:45 AM CST

Copied

Ominous New Stat on Opioid Deaths Released — In this file photo from Philadelphia, a fentanyl user holds a needle. (David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)

It's no secret that opioid deaths are rising in the US, but a new statistic brings home the danger. For the first time, Americans now have a greater chance of dying from an accidental opioid overdose than from a motor vehicle crash, reports USA Today. The stat comes from the National Safety Council via a report called "Injury Facts". The NSC finds that the lifetime odds of dying from an opioid overdose are 1 in 96, compared with 1 in 103 for a motor vehicle accident. Close behind were accidental falls, with 1 in 114 odds, worsening from 1 in 119 just a year ago. (California just saw a mass accidental overdose.)