Resources to Promote Suicide Prevention on Public Transit

January 31, 2023
Berta Hartig
RTAP

Resources to Promote Suicide Prevention on Public Transit

Published on January 30,2023

In December 2022, the FTA issued Safety Advisory 22-4:Suicide Prevention Signage on Public Transit. The advisory encourages transit agencies to implement, update or expand suicide prevention signages and messaging campaigns that apply best practices for reducing suicide attempts, which is the leading causes of fatalities on public transit in the U.S. The advisory recommends that signage include the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a service that works similar to 911, and can connect people in crisis with support via phone, text or chat.

To help agencies understand the issue and make a plan to to share suicide prevention signage, FTA hosted a Suicide Prevention Signage on Public Transit Webinar webinar with speakers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The webinar highlighted the impact of suicide on agency operations, how the 988 Lifeline works, shared samples of messaging in public transit, and provided a link to the 988 Partner Toolkit, a free resource with images and messaging that others can use to promote the free national service. It includes links to printable materials in English and Spanish and social media shareable videos and static graphics.

The transit example shared how to speak to about incidents transparently with the media without using triggering words and how a transit agency updated their signage to incorporate 988 Lifeline. They also shared about the importance of frontline worker training and recognizing warning signs of people in crisis. These examples are included in the recording of the webinar as well as in the PDF of the presentation linked below.

RTAP can print posters and mail them to you as requested. Just let us know how many you need. Posters are ordered once a month to print in bulk, when possible. Email Mariah Kathan the number of posters you need and which poster(s) you want printed.

Stickers: 2×2 inch stickers in English in Spanish that share the number for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Also available to order from RTAP or directly from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for no cost.

Links/Resources