The Golden Gate Bridge Net Is Saving Lives

"The iconic Golden Gate Bridge has a dark side. Historically, an average of 30 people each year have climbed over the four-foot railing and jumped to their deaths. Not anymore. In the second half of 2025, there were no confirmed suicides. What's different? And are would-be jumpers now dying by suicide in other places or using other means? The answers to these questions are important in themselves and for suicide prevention more broadly."

"The official Golden Gate Bridge website explains: "The net consists of marine-grade stainless steel netting installed 20 feet below the sidewalks and extending out 20 feet over the water. Jumping into the net is designed to be painful and may result in significant injury." The net is invisible to normal pedestrians, but visible to anyone leaning over and looking down."

"The net represents an enormous investment of time and resources. The idea of a barrier or net of some type is nearly as old as the bridge itself. But it was the advocacy of the families of three people who died by suicide that began in 2006 that eventually made the net a reality. That's almost two decades of advocacy, planning, and construction."

The Golden Gate Bridge historically averaged about 30 jump suicides per year, but recorded no confirmed suicides in the second half of 2025. A suicide-deterrent net was completed in early 2024. The net uses marine-grade stainless steel netting installed 20 feet below the sidewalks and extends 20 feet over the water; jumping into it is designed to be painful and may cause significant injury. The net is invisible to normal pedestrians but visible to anyone leaning over. Families of three people who died by suicide began advocacy in 2006, leading to nearly two decades of planning and a roughly $224 million investment. Preventing roughly 30 suicides annually is presented as justifying the cost. It remains too early to determine whether displacement to other locations or methods has occurred.

Read at Psychology Today