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Graphic compares odds of dying from accidental opioid overdose to other selected causes of death. Includes chart on the rise of U.S. opioid-involved drug poisoning deaths from 1999 to 2015.
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U.S.

Opioid overdose deaths more likely than car crash fatalities

By Ninian Carter

January 15, 2019 - For the first time, the chances of dying from an accidental opioid overdose in the U.S. are higher than being killed in a car accident, according to the National Safety Council.

In 2017, the odds of dying from opioid use increased to one in 96, whereas one in 103 were the odds of dying in a motor vehicle accident. More than 115 people die each day from opioid overdoses.

Overall, nearly 170,000 people died from preventable injuries in 2017, behind only heart disease and cancer. Poisonings, motor vehicle accidents and falls constituted almost 83 percent of all preventable deaths.

All told, the average American has a one in 25 chance of dying from a preventable injury.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 15/01/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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