Safety Study Says Americans May Be Worrying About Wrong Things

(CBS) -- Let's face it, death, is gonna happen to all of us sooner or later. But are we worrying about the wrong things? A new report suggests we might be.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov shows you what you should fret about and what to forget about.

Plane crashes, severe storms, even swarms of bees trigger fear of death in the masses, but the head of the National Safety Council Deborah Hersman says, fear not.

"The things that are most likely to kill us are the things that we deal with every day," said Hersman.

Comforting, or not, depending on your perspective of course. The deadliest everyday task? Driving. According to the NSC's stats, one in 112 people will die in a car accident versus the one in 96,000 that will die in a plane crash.

Simple falls are another top killer. Hersman says one in a 144 people will die that way compared to a cataclysmic storm, like a tornado, where only 1 in about 6,800 will die.

Aireal Boyd, who works out at Chicago's World Gym to prolong his life, calls that, 'crazy.'

"Falling would not be a way I want to go out."

But stats show nothing is skyrocketing more than death by overdose on prescription painkillers.

"Overdoses have just skyrocketed over the last two decades," said Hersman.

One in 234 people will die that way compared to, let's say, a lightning strike, that will kill only 1 in about 165,000 people. Hersman says this knowledge can help people make better choices.

If you're wondering where Illinois ranks under the safest state umbrella Deborah Hersman says we're the sixth safest. In part, because of laws passed over the years to help eradicate reckless behavior.