The effectiveness of installing physical barriers for preventing railway suicides and accidents: evidence from Japan

Journal of Affective Disorders
Michiko UedaTetsuya Matsubayashi

Abstract

Installing physical barriers, such as platform screen doors (PSDs), on train platforms is considered to be one of the most effective measures to prevent railway suicide. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of such barriers. In particular, the effectiveness of half-height, as opposed to full-height, PSDs has never been assessed. Using suicide and accident data between 2004 and 2014 provided by a major railway company in the Tokyo metropolitan area, this study examines whether the installation of half-height PSDs has contributed to the reduction of the incidents of fatal and non-fatal railway suicide. In addition, the study tests whether the installation of PSDs has resulted in the reduction of unintentional falls onto railway tracks. Our estimation using a Poisson regression model showed that the introduction of PSDs resulted in a decrease in the number of suicides by 76% (CI: 33-93%). Yet, the installation of PSDs has not completely prevented suicide, as there were cases in which passengers climbed them over. As for unintentional accidents, no fall accidents occurred at stations with PSDs. Our data come only from one train operator, and thus the generalizability of our results may be limited. We do not fully ...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 1992·Psychological Medicine·R FarmerJ Catalan
Jun 21, 2005·Journal of Psychiatric Research·Frédéric LimosinFrédéric Rouillon
May 18, 2012·International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health·Hyoung-Ryoul KimSung Man Chang
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Citations

Jan 25, 2016·Journal of Affective Disorders·Yong Woon ChungMichiko Ueda
Sep 28, 2015·The Lancet. Psychiatry·Jane PirkisYee Tak Derek Cheung
Mar 31, 2016·Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology·Lay San TooAllison Milner
Jul 15, 2016·Asia-Pacific Psychiatry : Official Journal of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists·Emma BarkerDiego De Leo
Nov 20, 2016·Injury Prevention : Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention·Lay San TooMatthew J Spittal
Nov 16, 2016·Current Opinion in Psychiatry·Mark SinyorJane Pirkis
Sep 24, 2020·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Chukwudi OkolieAnn John

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