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The risk of accidental death from an opioid overdose is now 1 in 96, surpassing the risk of dying in a car crash (1 in 103) for the first time ever, according to an analysis conducted by the National Safely Council. Based on 2017 accidental death risk data, the council’s analysis also shows that the lifetime risk of dying from an opioid overdose is higher than that for dying:

• in a fall
• in a pedestrian accident
• in a fire
• by drowning

According to the council, there were 169,936 preventable-injury deaths in 2017, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2016 and 96 percent since 1992. In 2018, unintentional injury was the leading cause of death in the U.S., causing approximately twice as many deaths as heart disease and cancer combined.

U.S. life expectancy declined from 2016 to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), largely due to an nicrease in deaths from drug overdoses — more than 70,000, a record high — and a 4 percent increase in suicides.