A new study shows Kern County has more than double the amount of fentanyl-related traffic fatalities per capita than any other county in the state of California. The numbers, released by car insurance company Jerry, are yet another development in the county’s ongoing fentanyl crisis.
However, fentanyl isn’t the only substance impairing drivers involved in crashes. Jerry found Kern also has the most alcohol-related crashes per capita in California. Additionally, the same study found that the county has the most fatal crashes involving a pedestrian per capita. In total, Jerry found that 29.8% of crashes in Kern County involved alcohol, 8.3% involved drugs and 2.3% involved extreme speed.
The data, which is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was found between the years of 2018 and 2021. Students at Bakersfield College may not be strangers to the epidemic, which is why the school is prepared in case of a drug-related emergency.
According to Joseph Grubbs, executive director of college safety at BC, officers on campus have started to receive training for these types of emergencies. “We just trained all our officers in the use of and issued each a dosage of Naloxone, otherwise known as Narcan,” Grubbs wrote to The Renegade Rip. “Officers carry the Narcan on their uniforms as part of their issued safety equipment.”
Additionally, there are steps students and non-students alike can take to avoid becoming another statistic in Kern County’s fentanyl crisis. “Most important thing is to not use any substance that they do not know from where it came,” wrote Grubbs. “So, if they are at a party and something is offered to them, legal (what appears to be a pharmaceutical) or illegal, do not accept it. Only use substances from a legitimate source like a pharmacy or over the counter boxed and sealed medications.”
The BC Student Health Wellness Center also offers resources in case of an emergency, including first aid, mental health crisis intervention and medical care provided by a family nurse practitioner. For more information, visit their website.