Federal government considers suicide-resistant tailpipes

The Federal Ministry of Transport has announced a search for ways to make it harder for people to commit suicide in cars, including ordering vehicle makers to equip all cars with special suicide-resistant tailpipes.

A discussion paper posted in the Canada Gazette in December said a suicide-resistant tailpipe, available at an extra cost of about $4 per car, would prevent people from attaching a hose to the end of the exhaust, while hidden venting would let fumes escape under the vehicle should a hose or bag be taped to the outside lip. At press time, there was no indication how the suicide-resistant tailpipe would affect the evacuation of exhaust gases from repair facilities. It said in the last 20 years, self-inflicted exhaust gas poisoning fluctuated from a high of 385 deaths in 1986 to a low of 260 in 1989.

“Ford and Nissan have already developed effective and aesthetic prototype designs,” the proposal added. The proposal can be found at: http://canada.gc.ca/gazette/part1/pdf/g1-13551.pdf