Installation of security networks in Golden Gate Bridge linked to 73% decrease in suicides

Early evidence indicates that the installation of security networks on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco has succeeded in reducing the number of suicides on the bridge.

The results, published online in the magazine Injury preventionshow a 73% decrease in suicides in the 12 months since the nets were completed in relation to the number before the net installation began.

The researchers say that their findings “highlight the value of installing networks on this bridge and the importance of barriers as a strategy to avoid suicides when jumping.”

The Golden Gate bridge is a milestone from San Francisco, but is also known as a place to jump suicide. The installation of security The networks to prevent suicide by jumping from the bridge were completed in January 2024, but was controversial, and no study has still examined its effectiveness.

To evaluate whether security networks operated as planned, the researchers studied the change in suicide rates on the bridge for three periods: before (January 2000 to July 2018), during (August 2018 to December 2023) and after its installation (January 2024 to December 2024).

Because staff and volunteers on the bridge are trained to intervene when someone shows signs of a suicidal crisis, they also examined whether the three periods were linked to changes in the number of times a third party intervened to avoid suicide.

During the entire study period, there were 681 confirmed suicides and 2,901 interventions for a third party.

There were 2.48 suicides per month before the installation of security networks, 1.83 during installation and 0.67 after installation. During installation, suicides decreased by 26% and after installation by 73%.

There were 8.22 interventions in a third per month before the installation of security networks, 14.42 during installation and 11 after installation. During the installation, the number of interventions in a third party increased by 75% and after the installation by 34%.

It is not clear why the number of third -party interventions decreased from the installation period to the period once the networks were completed, but one possibility is that eliminating this suicide method turned out that fewer people visit the site with the intention of jumping and, therefore, there were fewer opportunities for a third party to intervene, explain the authors.

They also recognize several study limitations, including only one year of data after installation, the possibility that some suicides will be erroneously classified as accidental drowning and not being able to evaluate possible displacement effects (for example, suicide in a nearby jump site) or replacement to other suicidal methods.

However, they say the best they can, this is the first study on the effectiveness of the security networks recently installed on the Golden Gate bridge and provides early but clear evidence that security networks They are associated with an immediate and substantial reduction of suicides on the site.

“There are many high -risk places worldwide where people die jumping from the heights,” they add. “Our study provides more evidence to policy formulators that barriers are a highly effective means to reduce suicide in bridges.”