Photo: ctvnews.com
A new study whose findings have been made public by the National Safety Council shows that the odds of dying in a car crash in the U.S. have decreased. Instead, Americans are more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose.
The study also shows that Americans tend to misplace their fears regarding the odds of dying. They fear exceptional situations like airplane crashes, mass shootings or natural disasters, when they’re more likely to die doing mundane things, whether they’re getting out of bed, biking or driving to work, or eating, the NSC says.
The NSC analyzed preventable injuries and deaths, and came up with new figures to show how the odds have changed. The odds of dying of an accidental opioid OD are 1 in 96, followed by car crash, with 1 in 103 and falls, with 1 in 114.
According to the NSC, these figures should paint a more accurate picture of how the opioid crisis is still sweeping the country, while also showing people that they should focus more on preventable injuries than fearing the worst that can happen. Because, to put it simply, the chances of the worst that can happen actually happening are very slim.
“Many of our fears are misplaced, and we tend to worry about the wrong things, like plane crashes and earthquakes,” Maureen Vogel, spokesperson for the NSC, says. “Those are definitely terrifying events, but they're very rare and unlikely to impact someone over the course of a lifetime. [The study] illustrates the opioid crisis in a way that people can look at it.”
“We’ve made significant strides in overall longevity in the United States, but we are dying from things typically called accidents at rates we haven’t seen in half a century,” Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics at NSC, adds. “We cannot be complacent about 466 lives lost every day. This new analysis reinforces that we must consistently prioritize safety at work, at home and on the road to prevent these dire outcomes.”
On average, 130 Americans die daily from an opioid overdose. In 2018, there were over 70,000 deaths from drug-related causes, with opioid overdoses being the leading cause of death.
The NSC analyzed preventable injuries and deaths, and came up with new figures to show how the odds have changed. The odds of dying of an accidental opioid OD are 1 in 96, followed by car crash, with 1 in 103 and falls, with 1 in 114.
According to the NSC, these figures should paint a more accurate picture of how the opioid crisis is still sweeping the country, while also showing people that they should focus more on preventable injuries than fearing the worst that can happen. Because, to put it simply, the chances of the worst that can happen actually happening are very slim.
“Many of our fears are misplaced, and we tend to worry about the wrong things, like plane crashes and earthquakes,” Maureen Vogel, spokesperson for the NSC, says. “Those are definitely terrifying events, but they're very rare and unlikely to impact someone over the course of a lifetime. [The study] illustrates the opioid crisis in a way that people can look at it.”
“We’ve made significant strides in overall longevity in the United States, but we are dying from things typically called accidents at rates we haven’t seen in half a century,” Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics at NSC, adds. “We cannot be complacent about 466 lives lost every day. This new analysis reinforces that we must consistently prioritize safety at work, at home and on the road to prevent these dire outcomes.”
On average, 130 Americans die daily from an opioid overdose. In 2018, there were over 70,000 deaths from drug-related causes, with opioid overdoses being the leading cause of death.
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