Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of the state highway system and requires the department to improve and maintain the state highways.
Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention within the department. Existing law authorizes the office, if established, to perform certain functions, including, among others, sharing and receiving data from all entities, including state agencies, with data relevant to the responsibilities and objectives of the office.
This bill would require the Department of Transportation to develop a policy to address suicide on the state highway system and, as part of that policy, to develop a framework for how to mitigate the risk of suicide on areas of the state highway system that pose a potential danger for suicide. The bill would require the Department of the California Highway Patrol to report all cases of suicide that it investigates on the state highway system to the Department of Transportation. The bill would require the Department of Transportation to report all cases of suicide committed on the state highway system to the Office of Suicide Prevention. The bill would require projects proposed under the policy to be considered public health emergencies and be considered for expedited development.
Existing law requires the department to prepare a state highway operation and protection program for the expenditure of transportation funds for major capital improvements that are necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system, excluding projects that add a new traffic lane to the system.
This bill would expressly provide that projects authorized to be included in the program may include suicide prevention and deterrence measures.
Existing law requires a project study report or project study report equivalent that is prepared for any new project involving the construction of a new bridge, or the replacement of a bridge with a history of documented suicides, which is included in a regional transportation improvement program, the interregional transportation improvement program, or the state highway operation and protection program, to include a document demonstrating that a suicide barrier was a feature considered during the project's planning process.
This bill would also require that document to include additional information relating to reducing the risk of, or mitigating, the potential for suicide.

Statutes affected:
AB 440: 14526.5 GOV, 14527.1 GOV
02/06/25 - Introduced: 14526.5 GOV, 14527.1 GOV