Improvements To Golden Gate Bridge’s Suicide Prevention Efforts Show Results
An additional five officers were added to the patrol rotation. Looking forward, bridge officials have planned for even more improvements, such as adding a net extending 20 feet below and 20 feet from the side of the span.
The Mercury News:
Golden Gate Bridge Reports Spike In Suicide Deterrence
The Golden Gate Bridge is reporting it intervened with a record number of people who came to the span in 2017 to potentially end their lives. Last year the bridge patrol team assisted 245 people on the bridge because they presented a risk of suicide, according to figures provided by the bridge district. There were 33 confirmed suicides. In 2016 there were 184 successful interventions and 39 suicides. (Prado, 1/22)
In other public health news —
KPCC:
California Falls Short In Passing Protections Against Drunk Driving, Group Says
California ranks just middle of the road in adopting strong traffic safety laws, according to a new report from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. The state has strict regulations protecting consumers and the environment, but the group concluded California falls short in areas that could keep residents safe on the streets. (McCarty Carino, 1/22)
KQED:
Ag Industry Fights Pesticide Penalties And State Efforts To Increase Future Fines
Several produce and farm labor contractors are contesting fines they face in connection with two separate pesticide drifts in the Central Valley that sickened close to 130 agricultural workers last year. In August the Kern County agricultural commissioner issued more than $50,000 in fines against two firms, including Sun Pacific, the produce company behind the popular Cuties oranges, for violating pesticide rules in an incident that sickened 37 farmworkers near the town of Maricopa in May. (Goldberg, 1/22)