Overdoses lead motor vehicle accident fatalities in OH

From Ohio.com:

The Ohio Department of Health says drug overdoses now top car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the state.

A newly released department report shows unintentional deaths from drug and medication-related poisoning exceeded traffic fatalities in 2006 and again in 2007.

The department says illegal drugs such as heroin play a big role but that prescription pain medicines are responsible for the increases.

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities highlighted the statistic Thursday at a news conference in Columbus to promote continued funding for substance abuse programs.

The association says that every dollar spent on drug and alcohol abuse treatment saves $11 on health care and involvement by the criminal justice system.

The report has some great numbers in it -- like, unintentional poisonings (96% of which come from drugs and medications) grew 249% between 1999 and 2006 versus motor vehicle crashes declining 11% over that same period. Suicides, homicides, firearm accidents, and falls all saw increases in mortality over the same period.

Short story: more people are dying, but the roads are safer.