# Suicides only happen off of Golden Gate Bridge **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 10, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908 "2005-03-10T21:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/21 "2005-03-10T23:41:30Z")
Woo! Go Davis Dopers! Sorry. **Pullet** : Get down to Woodstock’s and grab a liter mug of your favorite ale. Just chill, dude. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/22 "2005-03-10T23:45:17Z")
There’s a bridge near Scranton that has averaged at least one suicide per year over the last 20 years, and every time there’s an incident, there’s talk about how much money it would cost to put up safety netting. The state always argues that it’s too expensive, and likely wouldn’t help stop a suicide. They put up phones, and they definately were useless. Granted, one jumper a year isn’t much by the OP standards, but the bridge crosses over a busy highway with businesses on either side. Fortunately, the jumpers have not hit passing traffic to this point, but there have been several near misses, including a jumper that missed landing on several high school aged kids who happened to be walking underneath. If a passing motorist(s) or pedestrian(s) is also killed or seriously injured as a result of being landed upon by a suicide (and it will happen, eventually), I wonder if the state would reconsider the cost of the suicide netting after it settles the wrongful death lawsuits. It’s a shame that every time someone is about to go underneath the bridge, they have to look up to make sure that their own lives are not in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/23 "2005-03-11T00:16:20Z")
I feel a bit like an ass for this, as a friend of a friend is a survivor, but **kevja** ’s analogy of closing a bar to prevent alcoholism stand, I think. If there’s an unobtrusive, cheap way to prevent suicides, by all means, do it, but installing a big ugly net will associate the Bridge with death a helluva a lot more than it is now. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/24 "2005-03-11T00:35:56Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Woo! Go Davis Dopers! > > Sorry. > > **Pullet** : Get down to Woodstock’s and grab a liter mug of your favorite ale. Just chill, dude. No worries. I would have hit Woodstock’s whether SF wanted to be silly or not 🙂 Just think of the student-aimed housing Davis could build with $25 million. Why, 20 guys might be able to move back from West Sac. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/25 "2005-03-11T00:57:36Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > There’s a bridge near Scranton that has averaged at least one suicide per year over the last 20 years, and every time there’s an incident, there’s talk about how much money it would cost to put up safety netting. Maybe now that you can no longer see the Hill O’ Cars from the road, people will no longer be as depressed. Or maybe you meant the Clark’s Summit bridge? ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/26 "2005-03-11T01:21:01Z")
Toronto’s got [one](http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.01.03/city/viaduct.html) over the Bloor Viaduct, which passes over a highway and a big ravine. (The article says that this Viaduct is “the world’s second-most powerful suicide magnet.” Hm. Seems like every city wants a part of this dubious distinction!) It’s called the “luminous veil.” Yes, the name is completely absurd and I don’t think I can even say it without imagining the “quote marks” of irony around it. It’s kind of pretty, I guess, and it’s somewhat effective at not spoiling the view (which is already largely spoiled by the highway). But definitely massively expensive. I haven’t heard numbers on suicides prevented, but it seems these statistics are rather unreliable anyway. Oddly, the Viaduct is a few miles south of the Leaside Bridge, which you can nearly get blown off (into the same ravine/highway) of, just walking across it. Guess it’s not as famous. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/27 "2005-03-11T01:30:57Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Or maybe you meant the Clark’s Summit bridge? Freedom Bridge, the turnpike bridge that runs over Route 6. You’ve heard of it? ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/28 "2005-03-11T01:32:03Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > If someone handed me $833,333, I would be less suicidal right now. Now, now. [Don’t put the cart before the horse.](http://slate.msn.com/id/2090424) > [@slate.com](#): > > When Kirk Jones jumped over the guardrail at Niagara Falls last week and fell 180 feet alongside 150,000 gallons per second of rushing water, traditional explanations for his leap were plentiful. Jones’ parents said he had lost his job and was depressed. A suicide expert pointed out the appeal of dramatic farewells. And everyone called the jump suicidal: Jones is the first person to survive a Niagara fall without safety gear. > > But when it later came out that Jones had boasted to a friend, “If I go over and I live, I am going to make some money,” it was time to call in the economists. You want the money, you gotta show some good faith! (And just to be clear, I am not actually recommending that anyone kill themselves, or try to.) Of course, going off a bridge is probably _too_ effective a way to try… ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/29 "2005-03-11T01:43:04Z")
That article is wrong. There was a little boy in the early 60’s who went over the falls in just a bathing suit (maybe he had on a life vest, but against the falls, it’s hardly a safety device) after the boat he, his sister (who was saved at the brim), and uncle (also swept over, but didn’t survive) were in capsised. Roger Woodward or something. Granted, it wasn’t a suicide attempt by any stretch, but still… [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/30 "2005-03-11T03:17:03Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > 2000 suicides since 1937? That’s 30 people a year. At a cost of $25 million, $833,333 a person, assuming that the suicide rate off the bridge remains the same. Faulty numbers on your part. Let’s assume you build the barrier—cost=$25 million. Cost over 70 years, 2000 suicides, is $12,500 per person. Let’s assume some upkeep over that span. Let’s triple the figure. $40,000/per suicide. Still sound too high? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/31 "2005-03-11T03:42:46Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Freedom Bridge, the turnpike bridge that runs over Route 6. You’ve heard of it? Didn’t know it had a name, but when I visit folks I know in Clark’s Summit/Chinchilla, it really looms over everything in the town. Come to think of it I think I recall stories of suicides from it as well, which makes sense since if anything it’s even more “out there” than the Golden Gate, at least to area residents. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/32 "2005-03-11T03:57:58Z")
Anyone consider this might have the opposite effect? Put up a safety net and you’re going to get non-suicidal people jumping off for the thrill of it. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/33 "2005-03-11T04:21:46Z")
I just saw a bit on the local news tonight about how Freedom Bridge is getting a suicide barrier this year. It didn’t give much detail, and hopefully I can post a link tomorrow, but I would imagine it’s a 10-12 foot fence the length of either side the bridge. If all it does is discourages one person, it’s worth it. [Here](http://www.gribblenation.com/papics/pasubs/tpkbridge.jpg)’s a picture of the bridge **Ludovic** and I are referring to. I’s not the best picture, but it may give an idea of both the height of the bridge and the businesses located under it. [Here](http://www.scrantontimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12976821&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=8) is an article about the third suicide last year. The bridge is 163 feet tall, with a three foot railing. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/34 "2005-03-11T06:49:43Z")
The thing is this (as my FIL used to say); there are many people who if prevented from a single suicidal action recover fully and never do it again. A barrier on the bridge is debatable for a number of reasons (I suppose), but the idea of preventing suicide is a good one. Many, many people make an attempt (or a ‘gesture,’ whatever the distinction is) and go on to live normal long lives. Of course it seems that the barrier seems to be a ‘hardware’ solution to a ‘software’ problem. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/35 "2005-03-11T08:28:37Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Many, many people make an attempt (or a ‘gesture,’ whatever the distinction is) and go on to live normal long lives. This is a good point. There’s been an assumption by many in this thread that when somebody jumps, they really do want to die. It doesn’t work that simply. Beachy Head (which I mention before) has turned up cases where people’s fingernails have been found, torn off & dug into the cliff just below the top, i.e. they changed their minds, just a fraction of a second too late. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/36 "2005-03-11T14:16:19Z")
Just how much do I want the state doing to protect me from myself? Not this much, thanks. My state is in a bit of a cash crunch, as some of you may be aware. $25 million to build something and God only knows how much for upkeep, staffing, etc? No thank you. Not with my money. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/37 "2005-03-11T14:24:47Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Just how much do I want the state doing to protect me from myself? Again, you’re acting as if suicidal people are able to think straight and rationally. That’s simply not the case. How much do you want to be protected from doing yourself irreversable harm while not being in a fit state of mind? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/38 "2005-03-11T15:14:28Z")
Let’s look at this from another angle. Are most suicides a “whim of the moment” or planned? In other words, have most of the bridge suicides been someone who has been driving along and said “Gee, what a great place to kill myself?” I would bet that that’s not the case. I’d imagine most of them deliberately chose the bridge and drove to it. So now you have someone determined to commit suicide and finds there’s a barrier. So they go somewhere else. Has this magic $25 million fence stopped suicides? No, it has simply moved them elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/39 "2005-03-11T16:14:32Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > So now you have someone determined to commit suicide and finds there’s a barrier. So they go somewhere else. Has this magic $25 million fence stopped suicides? No, it has simply moved them elsewhere. Exactly. And to drive that home (heh) discouragement & impatience (if you’ve ever been stopped you’ll know what I’m referring to) can cause one to look at more immediate means. Like aiming for the grille of an oncoming dump truck–no flying sensation, but…no sensation at all. Which is the goal anyway. Except NOW you’ve included innocent victims & traffic delays. I like the hotline idea. Even better would be pro-life volunteers staffing the bridge to give a moment of meaningful human interaction to the jumpers. Hopefully these wouldn’t be the same people that “discourage” abortion on street corners. Large mounted photos of human sidewalk splatter and saltwater decomposition might be a bit insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908/40 "2005-03-11T16:22:20Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > So now you have someone determined to commit suicide and finds there’s a barrier. So they go somewhere else. Has this magic $25 million fence stopped suicides? No, it has simply moved them elsewhere. In many cases, no, they won’t do that. It may not be a momentary impulse that makes somebody jump from that bridge, but having their plan foiled will in many cases be enough to bring them away from the decision entirely. (How many times do I have to repeat myself that suicidal people _do not think rationally_?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suicides-only-happen-off-of-golden-gate-bridge/293908.md?page=3)