SENATE MEMORIAL 87

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Carlos R. Cisneros

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO INSTALL A BRIDGE BARRIER ON THE RIO GRANDE GORGE BRIDGE IN ORDER TO PREVENT SUICIDE ATTEMPTS.

     WHEREAS, deaths resulting from suicide attempts or accidental falls from the Rio Grande gorge bridge in Taos county have increased in recent years; and

     WHEREAS, the cost of rescue efforts and the danger to emergency responders have increased commensurately with such incidents; and

     WHEREAS, the Rio Grande gorge bridge has become a significant tourist attraction, and the increasing traffic on the bridge also contributes to higher risks to visitors and public safety personnel; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico currently ranks second in the United States for its suicide rate, which is one and one-half to two times the national average; and

     WHEREAS, more suicides occur in rural areas than in urban areas; and

     WHEREAS, every fourteen minutes twelve seconds, someone in the United States dies by suicide; and

     WHEREAS, the suicide rate among males is four times higher than that of females; and

     WHEREAS, suicide is the ninth leading cause of death for New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, suicide is the second leading cause of death among persons fifteen to twenty-four years of age and the fourth leading cause of death among persons thirty-five to fifty-four years of age; and 

     WHEREAS, suicide at the Rio Grande gorge bridge accounts for over fifty percent of all suicides in the Taos county area; and

     WHEREAS, the national suicide prevention lifeline steering committee has stated its position that the use of bridge barriers is the most effective means of bridge suicide prevention;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of transportation be requested to construct or install bridge barriers and safety-enhancing improvements to the Rio Grande gorge bridge on United States highway 64 in Taos county; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of transportation report the status of the construction or installation of suicide prevention barriers on the Rio Grande gorge bridge to the appropriate interim committee of the legislature by December 1, 2012; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of transportation.

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