Daily Archives: September 22, 2011

Statistics show drug and medication deaths exceed car accident deaths

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of deaths attributed to drugs and medications outnumbers the amount of people who are killed in a car accident. The reports show that these drug-related deaths are not only caused by illegal recreational drug use but also from prescription medications. Many of these medications include pain killers and anti-anxiety medicines prescribed by doctors. Experts say that deaths from medications and drugs have doubled over the past ten years while car accident victim deaths have dropped. Public health advocates say that there is considerable concern over the fact that prescription medications are causing more and more injuries and deaths. Some blame doctors for prescribing so many medications that can interact with each other and are not always properly monitored. They say that doctors who don’t properly monitor their patients and prescribe inappropriate medicines are committing medical malpractice. A New York lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice explained that a wrongful death lawsuit may need to be filed in situations such as these because some doctors act negligently and don’t take their prescriptive privileges seriously. A negligent doctor can face disciplinary actions, lawsuits and even loss of their medical license. Transportation officials note that the reduction in traffic accident related deaths is a significant win but warn that there’s still much work to be done. Car accidents still cause too many accident injuries and deaths, especially with the number of distracted drivers talking on their cells phones or texting as they drive. Catch more details about the latest statistics on drug, medication and accident deaths here.