Last year saw far fewer deaths at the San Francisco landmark, following a years-long movement to construct a barrier.
Over the past 20 years, roughly 30 confirmed suicides have been recorded at the Golden Gate bridge each year, or two or three each month.
Last year, that number was down to eight. Officials credit a suicide prevention net installed around the structure more than a year ago. Since the bridge was built in , it has been one of the deadliest suicide locations in the world , with at least 1, suicides recorded. In , after years of delays, officials completed a long-awaited suicide prevention barrier β the net β across a 1.
The funding came from the bridge district and state agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the California transportation department. Teams of trained professionals from the district, local fire departments and law enforcement agencies respond to net rescues, Cosulich-Schwartz said. In alone, bridge officers and partners performed successful interventions β meaning officers saw people in danger, stopped them from harming themselves and escorted them from the bridge for further help.
Critics of the project complained that a lot of money was being spent on deterring people who, they claimed, were determined to end their lives. But supporters of the safety net point to studies by Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley , showing that most survivors do not try to harm themselves again.
