Suicide in the transport system

In 2020, the NASP first began working on suicide in the transport system when a scoping study about Suicides in the Swedish transport system was carried out together with the Swedish Transport Administration. Since this initial collaboration, the work on the transport system has intensified with several NASP employees working on the issue. The transport system includes railways, subways, bridges, road traffic, and shipping. In some cases, activities may include other public places, for example, suicide at natural heights. The overall aim is to better understand the occurrence and cause of suicidal acts, provide recommendations, as well as innovate and evaluate methods for preventing these suicides.

We act as consultants for several organizations working with suicide prevention in the transport system, but also for regions and municipalities throughout the country. We also carry out research and method development together with the Swedish Transport Administration, SL, and other universities in Sweden.

A selection of our work:   

• Improved methods to identify suicides more accurately among road traffic fatalities in Sweden which has led to 63% more suicide cases than with previous approaches.
• A pilot study to evaluate the effects of preventing rail suicides by restricting access to high-speed rail tracks.
• A pilot study to evaluate the effects of preventing rail suicides and trespassing with fences placed at the end of the platforms.
• A pilot study for three different potential suicide prevention measures in the Stockholm subway.
• Lectures for regions and municipalities regarding suicide prevention in physical environments.
• Consultations regarding the design of suicide protection for several bridges located throughout Sweden.
• Contributed to the Vision Zero Handbook with a chapter on ‘Suicide in the Transport System’ which describes the incidence of road traffic suicides and measures in road safety.
• Compiled several different reports on the subject.