New York

Americans Now More Likely to Die From Overdose Than Car Crashes: Report

What to Know

  • For the first time ever, Americans are more likely to die of an opioid overdose than a vehicle crash.
  • In 2017 New York state had 3,638 deaths caused by drug overdose at a rate of 18 per cent.
  • Fentanyl surpassed heroin as the number one drug involved in overdose deaths.

For the first time ever, Americans are more likely to die of an opioid overdose than a vehicle crash, according to a new report published Monday by the National Safety Council.

The lifetime likelihood of death by opioid overdose is 1 in 96, while the likelihood of death by car crash is at 1 in 103.

According to the CDC, in 2017 New York state had 3,638 deaths caused by drug overdose at a rate of 18 percent.

“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.

Fentanyl surpassed heroin as the number one drug involved in overdose deaths, according to a CDC report published in December.

The leading cause of death in the U.S. was heart disease at a lifetime odds of 1 in 6.

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