Suicides on Commuter Rail in California: Possible Patterns-A Case Study

摘要

Suicides on rail systems constitute a significant social concern. Reports in local media, whether in newspapers, television, or radio, have brought awareness to this very sensitive and personal subject. This is also true for the San Francisco Bay Area. These events also cause severe trauma for the train operators and staff of the system as well as disruption and cost to society. The overall objective of this project was to conduct a pilot study to identify possible patterns in suicides associated with urban commuter rail systems in California. The Caltrain commuter rail system in the San Francisco Bay Area was used as the subject system for the pilot study. The primary intent of the data analysis was to determine whether suicides along the Caltrain tracks exhibited patterns. Pattern detection in this study was conducted primarily on the basis of time and location. Because the data were readily available, the gender factor was also included in the analysis, although this is not a factor that is connected to the rail system.