Organisation: PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety)
Amount awarded
£15,500 + £7,300 of Impact Funding
Completed
2019
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre
5 August 2021
Summary
This project sought to establish the scale of the problem of suicides involving motor vehicles and roads, and the strategies to manage and prevent these incidents.
PACTS says that while it is not possible to give a precise figure, it estimates that an average of more than 50 deaths by suicide per year occur on the roads in the UK.
This report calls on the UK government to provide leadership on road-related suicide by recognising the issue, clarifying Ministerial responsibilities and providing guidance.
In the process of the research, the report says stakeholders demonstrated an enthusiasm to engage with this issue. PACTS believes that with better coordination and information, progress is possible and need not be costly.
More detail
Around 6,000 people take their lives by suicide each year in the UK. This number has fallen since the 1980s, but has been rising since 2007. Suicide is the biggest killer of men aged 20-49 years and, in 2015, the female suicide rate was at its highest in a decade. In 2016, the suicide rate in Great Britain was 10.1 deaths per 100,000 of the population, close to the global average of 10.7 deaths per 100,000.
In contrast to the detailed information available on the 1,800 annual deaths from road accidents, very limited data is published on methods of suicide. The annual Office for National Statistics report shows only five categories and provides no further details.
It is known that some suicides involve motor vehicles and roads but no published figures are available and there is no official number.
Through an examination of information sources, procedures, policies and plans, this report provides insights into the analysis and prevention of suicide generally. It draws on the experience of other sectors and examples from other countries – but does not attempt to offer solutions.
The report shows that roads, vehicles and road infrastructure are being used by individuals seeking to end their lives. Highways England estimates that there were between 15 and 41 suicides per year on England’s road network in the period 2001-2014.
The number of suicide attempts is also not known with any precision. However, depending on definition, the report says it is ‘vastly in excess’ of the number of deaths.
The report says that suicides on roads impact on other road users and the emergency services, and may put them at risk. Incidents create delays on the network and associated costs. The value of preventing a death by suicide of someone of working age is estimated to be £1.67m.
There are various reasons why no official figure or database exists for road-related suicide. There is a general lack of awareness about the issue and it is not identified in government policy on suicide. The lack of data is both a cause and an effect of this. Deaths and injuries on roads are recorded by the police in road accident reports. However, suicides are not deemed to be a road safety matter and the guidance states that suicides should not be recorded in this system.
Whereas many road collisions are seen as preventable by road safety professionals, there is a perception by some that suicides are deliberate and as such cannot be prevented. Some authorities also reported problems with defining suicide attempts in records. The lack of data means that many professionals lack awareness of the issue and it can be difficult to formulate policy or justify resources.
However, the report says there are some positive signs. The issue is identified by Public Health England, and Highways England is developing a suicide prevention strategy and toolkit. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has also developed a plan for high-frequency locations. Some local suicide prevention groups are also taking action on this issue.
The report says that at an operational level, the police play a major role. In high frequency areas, efforts are being made to address road-related suicide. Generally, however, the report says collaboration on this issue between highways, public health and other sectors appears to be limited.
Most, but not all, local authorities have local suicide prevention plans. Where plans are available, mention of road-related suicide was usually absent. Where it was included, it was usually in relation to specific locations.
This report also raises questions about the approach to recording and analysis of suicides in general in the UK. This project found that often the information simply does not exist or is not accessible, even to professionals.
Recommendations
The report makes a number of detailed recommendations, including:
· Recognition of road-related suicide in mental health and road safety strategies;
· Improvements to existing incident reporting systems so that suicides, suspected suicides and attempted suicides can be clearly identified. These data could then form a national database.
· Consideration of suicides on roads in the forthcoming review of Stats19 road collision reporting;
· Stronger cross-sector collaboration, including highways, health, emergency services and the voluntary sectors.
For more information and/or to download the full project report, visit the Road Safety Trust website:
https://www.roadsafetytrust.org.uk/funded-projects/16/pacts-reducing-suicides