Found this article interesting, in not alittle frightening. Their figures are very high and the drug related car deaths takes your breath away. It makes me think what our figures would be like here in the U.k. It is only over the last few months the U.K. have advetised the danger of drugs and driving but I do not believe the advert is strong enough - maybe if we have a few more deaths then the government here will wake up to the problem!

As we do more to curtail deaths and injuries caused by automobiles, including harsher punishments for drunk and drugged driving, seat belt laws, and enforced speeding regulations, it is only understandable that the death rate would be dropping. The two phenomona are completely different and one is a red herring for the other. We need to compare the rates of each phenomonon against itself, not against other possible causes of death.

Although I agree that the efforts to reduce motor vehicle associated accidents and deaths differs from prescription drug related deaths, it is important to scrutinize the difference more closely. Surely the insurance industry and government agencies have supported measures to reduce motor vehicle accidents. This is not the case with the businesses which are driving prescription drug addiction and misuse. Some pharmaceutical companies have misled prescribers and agencies to ensure their profits. Paula Davies Scimeca, RN,MS

Emma - you misunderstood this article - as then did all of the others following your blog. This article states that more people are dying from "accidental deaths" due to overdoses and organ failure from these drugs - than people dying from fatal car crashes! Unprecedented until now. These drugs are destroying our young people and our society - take heed - it will only get worse until we stop the insanity of using these drugs as if they were "safe" - a MYTH created by the drug companies who produce them - and one tragically even accepted by the medical community as truth. Shameful.

In fact, Methadone is being prescribed now too often for pain relief, and young adults are dying left and right from overdoses. Between 1999 and 2004, overdose deaths from Methadone rose 390 percent according to the National Drug Intelligence Center. This drug is being prescribed in lieu of OxyContin and other pain relievers because of the bad hype surrounding them. Methadone should not be given to a person that doesn't have a tolerance for narcotics already. It is a very powerful drug, especially for a young person to be taking. As with Fentanyl, the drug should only be prescribed to narcotic tolerant persons, or opioid addicts in a clinic. And of course, doctors are spreading these drugs around like they are trying to fertilize addiction, or something. I can go to several doctors right now and get a script for a narcotic with just a few symptoms regarding pain. It's way too easy. How do I know this? Been there, done that. Thirty-six years worth of heroin, and other narcotic addiction, clean for 5 years. Now I write about substance abuse issues, including recovery.