{"id":46853,"date":"2024-03-12T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getjerry.com\/?p=46853"},"modified":"2025-02-19T08:15:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T16:15:33","slug":"fentanyl-positive-rate-among-drivers-in-fatal-crashes-doubles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/studies\/fentanyl-positive-rate-among-drivers-in-fatal-crashes-doubles\/","title":{"rendered":"Fentanyl-Positive Rate Among Drivers in Fatal Crashes Doubles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

America\u2019s fentanyl epidemic <\/a>is spilling onto its roads and highways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The massive influx of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, drove deaths from drug overdoses 30% higher in 2020 and another 15% higher in 2021, to a record <\/a>110,000 in 2022. So it should come as little surprise that more drivers have fentanyl in their system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of drivers involved in fatal accidents who tested positive for fentanyl nearly doubled from 2018 through 2021, the latest year for which data is available, despite little change in the number of tests conducted. The percentage of those drivers testing positive for fentanyl doubled from 2% to 4%. In New Hampshire, the state with the highest rate, fentanyl was found in the system of 11% of all drivers in fatal crashes who were tested for drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerry<\/a> took a closer look at the available data on fentanyl and fatal traffic crashes in an effort to gauge just how much America\u2019s fentanyl epidemic has also become a road-safety problem. Here\u2019s what else we found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Insights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n