I would imagine that a goodly number of people who drive over the Mores Creek bridge in southwest Idaho are anticipating a happy time at the nearby Lucky Peak State Park. However, when trying to take a picture of the bridge, I came across two memorials nestled in the bushes. A local resident suggested that they may be for people who have completed suicide by jumping off the bridge.
This form of suicide is relatively rare in North America, by one tally accounting for 5 percent of all deaths by suicide. However, this is a particularly lethal method because 85 percent of people who jump end up dying (Olson, 2014).
Debate between safety nets versus crisis support
The high incidence of death has resulted in the Golden Gate Bridge north of San Francisco, California being retrofitted with safety nets. Bridge Captain Roger Elauria told NBC that the number of confirmed suicides has declined by more than 50 percent since the nets were recently installed (Maripuu, 2025).
The proposal to install the nets nevertheless stirred debate. For example, psychiatric nurse Sherrie Page Guyer (2023) complained that the cost of the nets — which she said could end up tallying more than $400 million — could be better spent providing crisis intervention and therapy for those who need it.
“Suicide doesn’t happen out of the blue,” Guyer continued (2023). “Long before a person decides to jump from a bridge, they may have grappled with psychiatric illness, substance use disorders, financial turmoil, chronic health concerns, relationship problems, and loneliness, among other risk factors. Steel mesh safety nets won’t touch these issues — especially if those who suffer from them lack access to and/or the funds for care.”
Will suicide rates go up if current budget bill passes?
Access to healthcare is a particularly timely issue with the U.S. Senate deliberating on whether to approve President Trump’s massive budget bill that recently passed out of the Republican-controlled House.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that if the current bill is signed into law, the number of people without health insurance could increase by a total of 10.9 million in 2034. The biggest portion of those cuts are projected to come from the Medicaid program (7.8 million), but the rest would result from reductions to other Affordable Care Act programs (CBO, 2025).
Might those cuts have a trickle-down impact on our featured bridge in Idaho? This state has the fourth-highest suicide rate in the United States, according to the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare (2025). In 2023 a total of 457 Idahoans died by suicide. This was the state’s seventh most common cause of death.
Why would someone choose to jump off a bridge? Health experts say that accessibility and familiarity are the primary reasons.
“People who have attempted suicide will say that they felt more comfortable with a given method,” Matthew Nock, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, told National Public Radio (McClurg, 2024). “They are comfortable with jumping off a bridge, whereas they were afraid to hang themselves, or take an overdose or they didn’t have access to a firearm.”
Social support can prevent suicide attempts
Above you will find a video performance of Bobbie Gentry’s haunting 1967 song, “Ode to Billie Joe.” The ballad paints a vivid picture of a family’s discussion of a local boy’s suicide — he jumped off a bridge.
Gentry, who wrote the song, said that it was intended to illustrate a family’s indifference to suicide — which she called “a study in unconscious cruelty” (Wikipedia, 2025).
Why bring up family indifference in an article about suicide? Because research has shown that involvement from family, friends and other social support can help prevent suicides (e.g., Chen et al, 2021).
If you would like to learn more, the National Institute for Mental Health lists suicide warning signs here. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center provides assistance to family members and caregivers here. And the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention includes resources such as a 24/7 crisis hotline here.
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RE:SOURCES
- CBO, 2025. “Estimated Effects on the Number of Uninsured People in 2034 Resulting From Policies Incorporated Within CBO’s Baseline Projections and H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Congressional Budget Office. Posted June 4.
- Chen, Yen et al; 2021. “The Association of Suicidal Ideation With Family Characteristics and Social Support of the First Batch of Students Returning to a College During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period: A Cross Sectional Study in China.” Frontiers in Psychiatry. Posted June 27.
- Guyer, Sherrie Page; 2023. “The tragedy of the Golden Gate Bridge’s $400 million anti-suicide net.” STAT. Posted May 10.
- Idaho Department of Health & Welfare; 2025. “Suicide Prevention.” Accessed June 15.
- Maripuu, Alise; 2025. “Golden Gate Bridge patrol officers say suicides are down with new safety nets.” NBC Bay Area. Posted April 10.
- McClurg, Lesley; 2024. “After decades of advocacy, suicide deterrent finally comes to the Golden Gate Bridge.” National Public Radio. Posted Jan. 12.
- Olson, Robert; 2014. “‘Jumping’ and Suicide Prevention.” Centre for Suicide Prevention. Posted May 8.
- Wikipedia; 2025. “Ode to Billie Joe.” Page last edited May 4.
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