Permit Required for Suicide in Subway
NEW YORK (OCN) — Are you thinking about committing suicide in New York’s subway system? Well, before you proceed, make sure you have your permit from the MTA.
Starting Monday, March 15, 2010, all males and females are required to apply for a permit to commit suicide by train in New York’s subway system. The cost of the permit is US$125.00 (which is valid for 180 days after it is approved) and goes towards footing the bill of MTA’s loss revenue when the subway trains and/or stations have to be locked out to passengers while the power is shut off to the rails and local police continue their investigation.
With lawsuits from injured jumpers over the years, the MTA hopes the hefty fee (plus 30 day extenstion fee of US$5.00) will be a burden to potential jumpers and will aid in reducing the number of suicide attempts in their network.
According to a spokesperson who wishes to remain anonymous, failure to apply for a permit with the MTA and later can be proved through police investigation that the incident was a suicide attempt and not an accident or crime from a third party, will give the he MTA the green light to go after asset to recover for losses.
A benefit for the MTA and the city with the permit is a counsellor can be detached to aid the person(s) considering suicide and with the information collected helps in identifying the jumpers remains.
So far, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) has stepped in and filed an injunction saying that applying for the permit would be an invasion of privacy even though it could help prevent a possible victim through the dispatching of a counsellor. This is the same organization that wanted a stop on random subway searches which was being implemented to help protect New York City after 9/11 terror attacks.
A few experts believe that with the new requirement, people will take to other locations such as the George Washington Bridge, the Empire State Building or other trains services such as the LIRR (which has a poster campaign saying “Suicide is not the route” and 877-582-5586 suicide hotline), PATH, Amtrak & NJ Transit.
