Traffic accidents and deaths caused by drug overdoses increased rapidly in America in 2021. It is stated that the epidemic may have been effective in this.
There has been a significant increase in the number of deaths in traffic accidents.
The death toll from drug overdose also increased at a record high.
As the pandemic continues, there is concern that more and more Americans are engaging in irresponsible and risky behavior.
Jane Terry, of the National Safety Council, said: “The pandemic is having an impact. “We definitely see this effect when we make decisions about going to work, being with our families, driving and consuming substances.”
In the first year of the pandemic, 38 thousand people died on highways in America. This figure is at its highest level since 2007.
Shannon Frattaroli of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy says, “We’re seeing less seat belt fastening and more speeding on the roads. We see that more substances are used, which increases the rate of people driving and taking risks on the roads,” he says.
The pandemic has increased business and economic uncertainty for Americans, while also affecting personal relationships.
“Our ability to connect with others face-to-face is limited. We are becoming more and more isolated,” he says.
More than 96,000 people died in the United States in 2021, or a record number of drug overdoses. This marks a 30 percent increase over the previous year.
Clinical psychologist Maria Espinola said, “We know that substance use increases during the pandemic. Many people use alcohol and drugs to cope with stress. Some were having problems before the pandemic, and the situation has worsened with the pandemic. “Some people who didn’t have the problem before were exposed to so much stress that they started using drugs to deal with it,” he says.
There are possible solutions to this. For example, the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research believes that using some of the infrastructure budget to prevent driver errors could reduce traffic fatalities. Replacing crossroads with roundabouts, where accidents occur frequently, can be one of these measures.
As for substance abuse, the National Safety Council says the benefits that American employers offer their employees should include more treatment and rehabilitation services.
However, the number of traffic and overdose deaths that increase at a rate that can be called an “epidemic” during the pandemic does not seem to decrease yet.