Two Years In, Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Prevention Nets Have Almost Completely Eliminated Bridge Suicides

"In their second year since completion, the Golden Gate Bridge suicide prevention barriers allowed only four suicides in the first half of 2025. In the second half of 2025, the bridge saw zero suicides. For decades, it was an irresistable magnet for those at the end of their ropes. There was an average of 30 successful suicide attempts each year from people jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, and an estimated 2,000 such deaths since the bridge opened in 1937."

"Back in 2014, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District approved installing suicide prevention nets on the bridge in hopes of ending this dark phenomenon. And while the installation of those suicide nets took years longer than planned and went about $150 million over budget, the barriers were finally completed almost exactly two years ago, and are proving their worth."

"We now have our statistical results for 2025, which would be the first full year of the barriers being in place. And the New York Times reports there were only four Golden Gate Bridge suicides in the first half of 2025, and then suicides between June and December 2025. The Times adds that seven months might be the longest stretch without a suicide at the bridge, though early records are sparse."

The Golden Gate Bridge historically experienced many fatal jumps, with an average of about 30 successful suicide attempts per year and an estimated 2,000 deaths since 1937; another historical figure cited about 40 annual suicides. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District approved suicide-prevention nets in 2014. Installation took years longer than planned and ran about $150 million over budget. The barriers were completed almost exactly two years ago. In 2025, the first full year with barriers, there were four suicides in the first half and zero in the second half. One successful suicide was reported in the first 20 days of 2026. The barriers are stiff wire mesh that extend horizontally below the deck, likely to cause injury but not death and serving as a visible impediment to someone considering a jump. Early statistics show a substantial reduction in bridge suicides.

Read at sfist.com