Graph of suicides by location off the

Graph of suicides by location off the Golden Gate Bridge. This is a fascinating graph. More overall deaths on the SF half than the Marin half and way more on the bay side. A lot of people walked pretty far before jumping. And lightpost 69...it looks to be about halfway between the towers...lots of symbolism there for the jumpers.

By Jason Kottke • Nov 3, 2005 at 07:23 am • death infoviz San Francisco suicide

There are 10 reader comments

Dagomar Paulides • Nov 03 2005 • 8:34AM

perhaps 69 is more symbolic than just being halway?

Will Fitzgerald • Nov 03 2005 • 8:49AM

Probably a trivial analysis, but I did a quick look to see if there was a 'long tail': http://www.entish.org/willwhim/?p=255.

Doug Haney • Nov 03 2005 • 8:55AM

Why am I hearing Billy Madison, "69!"

jkottke • Nov 03 2005 • 9:20AM

Perhaps 69 is more symbolic than just being halway? [sic]

I doubt it..I don't think the physical posts are numerically marked.

Andre Torrez • Nov 03 2005 • 11:48AM

I'm pretty sure the posts are physically marked. I drive over the bridge every morning and after I saw this graph I took a quick peek to see and I believe I did see the numbers on the the light poles alternating in this manner.

minxlj • Nov 03 2005 • 11:54AM

I remember reading an article about the few people who had actually survived jumping from the bridge...nasty injuries though. I'm getting married overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge sometime next year - this was planned before I found out it's the world's #1 suicide spot, but I haven't changed my mind.

But I will be checking the bridge for potential jumpers first - imagine catching that in your wedding photos?! :-(

Will Fitzgerald • Nov 03 2005 • 2:06PM

You can clearly see a number sign on this Flickr photo:

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=10604866&context=pool-68528530@N00&size=l

kirkaracha • Nov 03 2005 • 5:58PM

More people jump from the side facing the city, as opposed to the side facing the Pacific. The view is better, and the Pacific side is a bike lane.

This graphic comes from a current series of articles in the San Francisco Chronicle. There are more graphics, plus audio interviews.

nick • Nov 03 2005 • 11:50PM

I'd heard the opposite anecdotally: that people facing the city are less likely to jump than those facing out to the ocean. That makes poetic sense; but logistically, it's easier to get to the SF-facing side with its pedestrian walkway than the opposite-side bike path. There's also a psychological advantage of walking with, rather than against the traffic.

Zach Blume • Nov 04 2005 • 7:39PM

"I remember reading an article about the few people who had actually survived jumping from the bridge..."

I read that too. Every single damn one of them said about 3/4 of the way down they figured out all the problems in there life could be solved, save jumping off the bridge. Oopsy.

This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.