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 answer to the first question—why the suicide rate has plummeted at the Golden Gate Bridge—is easy: a “suicide deterrent system” or, more simply, a net, was completed in early 2024.

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........

© Psychology Today