This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Golden Gate Bridge has finished the installation of a safety net designed to deter people from ending their lives at the San Francisco landmark, according to reports on Wednesday, Jan. 3.
Now, stainless-steel nets line the 1.7 mile bridge, marking the completion of a five-year project to improve safety on the bridge.
As of Jan. 1, “The suicide deterrent system … has been installed on the east and west sides of approximately 95% of the bridge,” said the Golden Gate Bridge’s website.
“In some areas of the bridge, due to ongoing construction or design factors, vertical fencing is in place instead of or in addition to the net,” said the site.
The safety nets are located 20 feet below the Golden Gate Bridge‘s sidewalk, and they extend out 20 feet from the bridge.
They are built out of “marine-grade stainless steel that can withstand the harsh environment that includes salt water, fog and strong winds that often envelop the striking orange structure at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay,” said the Associated Press.
The net was designed to have as little visual impact on the iconic symbol of San Francisco as possible, said the Golden Gate Bridge’s website.
It is not visible to cars driving on the bridge, but can be seen by pedestrians, the Associated Press said. It was designed to have “minimal” interference with the bridge’s operations and maintenance.
The design of the net was done with input from the larger community, the Golden Gate Bridge website indicated.
“The selected design allows open, scenic vistas to remain intact, while preventing anyone from easily jumping to the water below,” the site noted.
Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public in 1937, nearly 2,000 people have committed suicide there by leaping off the bridge.
“On average, 30 people or more die from suicide here each year,” said the Golden Gate Bridge’s website, adding that “hundreds more are stopped from harming themselves through the efforts of the Golden Gate Bridge District Patrol, California Highway Patrol, other law enforcement and citizen intervention.”
In addition to the net’s ability to physically catch people who jump, the presence of the net itself may save lives, said the Golden Gate Bridge’s website.
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“The purpose of the net is to reduce the number of deaths associated with individuals jumping off the bridge. 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 same source said.
During the net’s construction, there were 14 confirmed suicides — about half of the average number the Golden Gate Bridge sees each year.
“While the net was under construction, the majority of suicides occurred when people found gaps where netting was not yet installed and jumped,” said the Golden Gate Bridge’s website.
There were “several instances” in which people were rescued after they jumped into the net, said the website.
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Only about 40 people have ever survived jumping off the bridge, said the AP.
One of those survivors, Kevin Hines, leaped from the Golden Gate Bridge in September 2000 at the age of 19.
He said he immediately regretted jumping after he first let go, and he broke three bones in his back when he landed in the Pacific Ocean.
Hines now works as a suicide prevention advocate.
“Had the net been there, I would have been stopped by the police and gotten the help I needed immediately and never broken my back, never shattered three vertebrae, and never been on this path I was on,” said Hines to the Associated Press.
“I’m so grateful that a small group of like-minded people never gave up on something so important,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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