National Highways introduces suicide prevention design assessments

National Highways has introduced a new standard requiring suicide prevention assessments for relevant road and bridge projects, bringing consideration of suicide-related risks into infrastructure planning and design. The Suicide Prevention Assessment and Review (SPAR) standard was developed with the UK Roads Leadership Group and establishes a structured process for assessing risks and considering appropriate preventative measures.

The requirement covers relevant new road schemes, major improvements, renewals and maintenance projects where such risks may arise. Project teams must consider the potential for harm during planning and design, evaluate suitable interventions and keep their assessments under review as schemes develop.

The standard builds on guidance issued by National Highways and the UK Roads Leadership Group in September 2025. That guidance encouraged road authorities and design teams to consider suicide prevention within infrastructure projects, while SPAR makes assessment a formal requirement for the schemes within its scope.

National Highways estimates that approximately 60 suspected suicides occur each year on England’s motorways and major A roads, accounting for more than one in five deaths on the strategic road network. The figure provides a measure of the challenge faced by the organisation alongside its wider programme of road safety and harm prevention.

SPAR introduces an assessment process that can influence design decisions before construction begins. Engineers and project teams will need to consider whether proposed or existing infrastructure presents relevant risks and how suitable design or management measures could reduce them.

Early consideration allows those measures to be assessed alongside the structural, operational and maintenance requirements already governing road projects. Changes made during design can affect the arrangement of a bridge, the location of access facilities or the equipment incorporated into the completed infrastructure.

The appropriate intervention will depend on the characteristics of the individual scheme. A new bridge may offer opportunities to incorporate protective features as part of its original design, while improvements to an existing structure must work within the constraints of its established construction and operating arrangements.

Protective infrastructure can introduce additional structural loads, fixing requirements and maintenance responsibilities. Where barriers or other physical measures are proposed, their design must be compatible with the asset’s capacity, the available space and the conditions in which the infrastructure will operate.

Those considerations also extend to access for inspection and maintenance. Road and bridge assets require periodic examination and repair, with engineers needing suitable arrangements for reaching relevant components while maintaining the safety of workers and the public.

A proposed safety measure must therefore be assessed in relation to the other requirements of the asset. Its installation and subsequent operation need to be compatible with structural performance, maintenance access and the relevant highway design standards.

For maintenance and renewal schemes, existing asset information can contribute to the assessment. Records of infrastructure condition, operational constraints and previous safety concerns can help project teams understand the circumstances in which improvement works are being developed.

The standard also provides for input from local authorities, allowing assessments to draw on knowledge of the surrounding area and the experience of organisations responsible for local infrastructure. That information can complement the technical evidence available to the designers and asset managers.

National Highways developed SPAR with the UK Roads Leadership Group, whose involvement includes the devolved administrations and the UK Bridges Board. The collaboration reflects the need for a consistent approach to considering these risks across different highway organisations and infrastructure responsibilities.

Specialist input can also inform the selection of appropriate measures. The development of the standard has involved consideration of how highway asset owners can work with health professionals and other relevant organisations when assessing potential risks.

The assessment is intended to continue as a project progresses. Design changes can alter the circumstances originally examined, while further information about the site or the proposed infrastructure may require earlier decisions to be reconsidered.

Reviewing the assessment during development allows the project team to determine whether the proposed measures remain suitable. Changes to structural arrangements, access routes and operating requirements can then be considered alongside the prevention objectives established for the scheme.

Once a project reaches construction, the measures incorporated into the design must be delivered as part of the relevant works. Their installation may involve structural modifications, specialist components or associated site arrangements, depending on the scope of the approved scheme.

Construction of protective features must be coordinated with other work on the asset. Changes affecting a bridge or road structure may have implications for temporary access, traffic management, lifting operations and the sequencing of installation, with those requirements addressed through the project’s normal engineering and safety processes.

The assessment process also creates a record of the risks considered and the responses selected during development. That information can support subsequent review when an asset is modified or renewed, helping project teams understand the basis on which earlier design decisions were made.

National Highways’ suicide prevention lead Nicola Tweedie has identified infrastructure design as one part of reducing harm on the road network. The organisation’s broader programme also includes cooperation with mental health organisations and initiatives intended to help people obtain support before a crisis develops.

Nicola Head, vice-chair of the UK Bridges Board on behalf of the UK Roads Leadership Group, has emphasised cooperation between highway asset owners and health professionals. SPAR provides an engineering assessment framework through which their expertise can contribute to decisions about relevant infrastructure.

The development of the standard follows work with transport research organisation TRL on suicide prevention across the highway sector. That programme has involved engineering guidance and collaboration with organisations contributing to road safety and public health.

Its introduction places suicide prevention within the assessment requirements applied to qualifying road and bridge projects. Designers and asset managers will need to consider suitable measures as schemes progress, integrating their findings with the established structural, operational and maintenance requirements governing the infrastructure.