National Highways introduces new guidance to integrate suicide prevention into the design of UK roads and bridges, enhancing public safety
National Highways has introduced the UK’s first guidance to factor suicide prevention into the design of roads and bridges, a move aimed at saving lives and improving public safety. The new standards provide engineers and planners with clear measures to make bridges, overpasses, and other high-risk infrastructure safer, while raising awareness of mental health risks in transport. This pioneering initiative could transform how the UK designs its roads, ensuring that safety and wellbeing are built into every project, and giving communities greater confidence that public spaces are designed with care and consideration.
The role of infrastructure in suicide prevention
The UKRLG Roads and Bridges Suicide Prevention Guidance was developed with support from the road sector and Samaritans and encourages planners and engineers to incorporate features that could help prevent suicide.
Infrastructure can play a key role in suicide prevention, for example, modifications to parapets and barriers to restrict access. The guidance, the first of its kind for the road industry, holds the potential to significantly change the future of road and bridge design, offering hope for a safer and more considerate public space.
Nicola Tweedie, National Highways’ Suicide Prevention Lead, said: “Around 50 suspected suicides are estimated to occur on motorways and major A-roads each year, accounting for approximately 20% of all deaths on our network.
“The tragic impact of suicide goes far beyond numbers and statistics. Each life lost represents a person, a family, and a community left devastated. By considering suicide risk early in the planning process, we can help save lives on our roads.”
Combining design, location, monitoring, and support to tackle suicide attempts
The UK Roads and Bridges Suicide Prevention Guidance recommends a combination of design, location, monitoring, and support measures to reduce suicide risks. Key strategies include modifying parapets, barriers, and railings, installing fencing, improving lighting, and designing features that discourage lingering in high-risk areas. The guidance advises assessing proximity to vulnerable populations, accessibility, and the lethality of specific sites, while emphasising the importance of ongoing monitoring and evaluation to gauge effectiveness.
It also encourages providing information about mental health support services, training staff to recognise and respond to individuals in distress, and collaborating with organisations such as Samaritans. Overall, the guidance emphasises the integration of suicide prevention measures from the earliest stages of road and bridge design to maximise public safety.
Elizabeth Pettersen, High Risk Locations Programme Manager at Samaritans, said: “Suicide is not inevitable, and together we can help prevent it. The road sector has a crucial role to play in ensuring that suicide prevention is considered at every stage, from design through to maintenance. Samaritans is proud to work in strategic partnership with National Highways, and we welcome the launch of this much-needed guidance. This must be now implemented across the road industry to ensure fewer lives are lost on the strategic road network.”
