PHOENIX — Maricopa County and Phoenix have topped the lists of counties and cities in the United States with the most deadly crashes linked to fentanyl use.
According to an analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Census Bureau, in Maricopa County, there were nearly four dozen deadly crashes involving at least one driver who tested positive for fentanyl from 2018 to 2021.
The counties that include the cities of Albuquerque and Chicago ranked in the second and third spots, at just over two dozen crashes each.
Phoenix topped the list of cities with 21 deadly fentanyl-linked crashes from 2018 to 2021.
Tucson also joined Phoenix on the list of the most populated cities with the most deadly crashes per capita. Tucson’s Pima County was among the largest U.S. counties with the highest number of deadly crashes per capita.
One thing to note, according to the report: "The NHTSA only began collecting data from states on fentanyl in fatal crashes in 2018. The frequency of drug testing of drivers and passengers in fatal crashes, and the processes involved, vary from state to state. Not all drivers and passengers involved in a fatal crash are tested for drugs. Fentanyl can be detected in a blood test for up to 48 hours after ingestion. The presence of fentanyl in a driver’s bloodstream does not necessarily mean that the driver was impaired at the time of the crash."
