Suicide is often a behavior of “opportunity.” Given the motivation, having the wherewithal to kill oneself creates an unfortunate opportunity. According to the CDC
- 13.2 million contemplate suicide, 3.8 make a plan, and 1.6 million attempts to commit suicide.
- 49,000, 1 every 11 minutes, or 14/100,000 are successful.
- Men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women.
- Firearms, suffocation, and poisonings (including intentional overdoses) are the primary methods
While jumping from heights is not a prominent suicidal method, bridges attract inordinate attention and certainly can provide opportunity more readily than a prescription or firearm. Between its opening and 2008, the Golden Gate Bridge has provided opportunities for 1700 suicides. Creating barriers has been shown to effectively reduce suicide attempts. Still, there are often concerns about bridge esthetics to barriers raising the height of rails (requiring would-be suicides to climb over high barriers). A study in Injury Prevention shows how a more esthetically designed barrier reduced suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Before the installation of the barriers, there were 2.48 suicides monthly. Changing the “built environment” with the addition of 
those barriers reduced suicides to 0.67 monthly, a 73% reduction. The only question is why it took so long.
The third-party interventions refer to staff and volunteers who engage would-be suicides on the bridge. The need for interventions also dropped, suggesting that the barriers removed opportunity.
“Our study provides further evidence to policymakers that barriers are highly effective means of reducing suicide at bridges.”
The barrier can be seen in this photograph. The net extends 20 feet out over the water on either side of the bridge and is made of marine-grade stainless steel netting. It extends for the entire 1.7-mile span of the bridge. In the words of the builders,
“The net is a proven design that deters people from jumping, serves as a symbol of care and hope to despondent individuals, and, if necessary, offers people a second chance.
The net draws inspiration from similar barriers erected to deter suicides on tall buildings and bridges around the world.”
The success of the Golden Gate Bridge’s suicide barrier is a powerful reminder that safety isn’t just about rules and warnings—it’s about designing our built environment to protect people from irreversible decisions made in moments of crisis. From tall buildings to subway platforms, thoughtful structural changes can remove opportunity and create a buffer between impulse and action. The question isn’t whether barriers work—the data is clear. The real question is why we don’t prioritize integrating safety into our infrastructure before tragedy forces our hand.
Source: Change in suicides during and after the installation of barriers at the Golden Gate Bridge Injury Prevention DOI: 10.1136/ip-2024-045604
Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA
Director of Medicine
Dr. Charles Dinerstein, M.D., MBA, FACS is Director of Medicine at the American Council on Science and Health. He has over 25 years of experience as a vascular surgeon.
