ClickCease Bicycle Crashes on the Golden Gate Bridge

Bicycle Crashes on the Golden Gate Bridge

Recently, we performed an analysis on bicycle collisions in Marin County, California.  Specifically, we were looking to identify the most dangerous areas for cyclists within the county.  While we feel that we did just that, we noticed something else.  There were a lot of bicycle collisions on the Golden Gate Bridge.

As a result, we gathered data from both Marin and San Francisco Counties to find all bicycle accidents on the bridge over a ten-year period, from 2011-2020.

We identified 125 crashes involving cyclists on the Golden Gate Bridge during this time.  While no cyclists were killed in these crashes, 137 were injured – including 30 severe injuries.

Interactive Map: Crashes on the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is part of a cycling route from San Francisco to Sausalito, one that is very popular with visitors and tourists -many of whom may not be experienced cyclists and are unfamiliar with the area.

While there are protected bike paths, collisions continue to occur each year:

  • 2011: 8 crashes
  • 2012:  10 crashes
  • 2013:  14 crashes
  • 2014:  15 crashes
  • 2015:  14 crashes
  • 2016:  13 crashes
  • 2017:  15 crashes
  • 2018:  12 crashes
  • 2019:  13 crashes
  • 2020:  11 crashes

As you might expect, bicycle collisions are much more common on the weekend, when the route is heavily used by visitors, rather than commuters.  In fact, 42 of the collisions occurred on Saturday – twice as many as the next highest day (Sunday with 21).

While these 125 crashes occurred on the bridge, three of the ten most dangerous areas for cyclists in Marin County were related to this bike route as well.  However, this data should be instructive, rather than alarmist.  Those who use this route regularly as well as visitors and tourists alike should be aware of the potential dangers and take precautions to keep themselves safe.

Data Table:  All Golden Gate Bride Crashes from 2011 – 2020

Below is every crash that we identified on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Date Time Day of Week Bicyclist Injuries Severe Injuries
2/5/11 1115 Saturday 2 0
4/16/11 1405 Saturday 1 0
7/23/11 1705 Saturday 1 1
8/22/11 1540 Monday 1 0
8/27/11 845 Saturday 1 0
9/14/11 920 Wednesday 0 0
11/19/11 1805 Saturday 1 0
12/4/11 1135 Sunday 1 0
1/11/12 1215 Wednesday 2 1
1/28/12 1308 Saturday 1 0
2/18/12 1300 Saturday 1 0
4/24/12 1721 Tuesday 1 0
5/19/12 1845 Saturday 1 1
9/7/12 1500 Friday 1 0
9/9/12 1700 Sunday 1 0
10/3/12 1359 Wednesday 1 0
11/12/12 1950 Monday 1 0
12/20/12 809 Thursday 1 1
1/19/13 1425 Saturday 2 1
2/15/13 1125 Friday 1 1
2/15/13 1130 Friday 1 1
4/20/13 1323 Saturday 1 0
4/22/13 1919 Monday 1 0
5/20/13 1346 Monday 1 1
6/22/13 1335 Saturday 1 0
6/27/13 1640 Thursday 1 1
6/29/13 1220 Saturday 1 0
7/6/13 2151 Saturday 1 0
7/12/13 1455 Friday 0 1
8/11/13 1638 Sunday 1 0
8/13/13 1215 Tuesday 1 0
8/22/13 1300 Thursday 1 0
1/3/14 1150 Friday 1 0
1/5/14 1600 Sunday 1 0
1/18/14 1325 Saturday 1 0
1/26/14 1630 Sunday 1 0
3/8/14 1355 Saturday 1 0
6/6/14 1310 Friday 1 0
6/10/14 1800 Tuesday 1 0
6/14/14 1130 Saturday 1 0
7/10/14 1735 Thursday 1 1
7/15/14 1800 Tuesday 1 1
9/14/14 1535 Sunday 1 0
10/4/14 1645 Saturday 1 0
10/7/14 1320 Tuesday 1 0
10/11/14 1650 Saturday 2 2
10/26/14 1605 Sunday 1 0
1/4/15 1223 Sunday 1 0
1/10/15 1340 Saturday 1 0
1/21/15 1730 Wednesday 1 0
1/29/15 1150 Thursday 1 0
3/27/15 955 Friday 1 1
5/3/15 1815 Sunday 1 0
8/3/15 1320 Monday 1 0
8/30/15 900 Sunday 3 0
9/26/15 1210 Saturday 2 0
10/1/15 1430 Thursday 0 0
10/23/15 1347 Friday 1 0
11/21/15 1400 Saturday 1 0
11/24/15 1400 Tuesday 1 0
12/23/15 1725 Wednesday 1 0
5/20/16 1636 Friday 2 0
6/11/16 1100 Saturday 1 0
6/15/16 1652 Wednesday 1 0
7/3/16 1240 Sunday 1 0
7/27/16 1535 Wednesday 1 0
8/27/16 840 Saturday 1 0
9/5/16 1357 Monday 1 0
9/10/16 1140 Saturday 1 0
9/18/16 1640 Sunday 1 0
10/21/16 1735 Friday 1 0
10/26/16 1451 Wednesday 1 0
11/13/16 1253 Sunday 2 0
11/23/16 1159 Wednesday 1 0
1/14/17 1505 Saturday 1 0
1/26/17 1240 Thursday 1 0
3/12/17 1256 Sunday 1 1
3/31/17 1510 Friday 1 0
5/10/17 1347 Wednesday 1 0
5/17/17 724 Wednesday 2 0
7/1/17 1215 Saturday 1 0
7/29/17 1716 Saturday 1 1
8/3/17 1410 Thursday 1 0
8/3/17 1130 Thursday 1 1
8/18/17 1025 Friday 1 0
8/26/17 1215 Saturday 2 0
9/9/17 1200 Saturday 1 1
12/10/17 928 Sunday 1 0
12/10/17 1300 Sunday 1 1
2/17/18 1620 Saturday 1 0
3/26/18 1605 Monday 1 0
3/29/18 1236 Thursday 1 0
3/29/18 1235 Thursday 1 0
4/14/18 1240 Saturday 1 0
7/6/18 1015 Friday 1 0
7/10/18 1420 Tuesday 1 0
9/8/18 1345 Saturday 1 0
9/27/18 1535 Thursday 1 1
11/2/18 941 Friday 1 1
11/18/18 1730 Sunday 2 0
12/15/18 1515 Saturday 1 0
1/26/19 823 Saturday 1 0
1/26/19 1340 Saturday 1 0
5/11/19 904 Saturday 1 0
5/12/19 1452 Sunday 1 1
6/8/19 1715 Saturday 1 0
6/8/19 1045 Saturday 1 0
7/14/19 1830 Sunday 1 0
8/27/19 1339 Tuesday 1 0
8/29/19 1742 Thursday 1 0
9/30/19 1200 Monday 1 0
10/22/19 1434 Tuesday 2 0
10/24/19 630 Thursday 1 1
11/2/19 1452 Saturday 1 0
1/9/20 1630 Thursday 1 1
5/6/20 1910 Wednesday 1 1
5/24/20 1324 Sunday 1 0
6/13/20 1915 Saturday 1 0
7/1/20 1215 Wednesday 1 0
8/9/20 901 Sunday 1 1
8/19/20 1420 Wednesday 1 1
10/3/20 1210 Saturday 1 0
10/14/20 1821 Wednesday 2 1
12/19/20 700 Saturday 1 1
12/25/20 1326 Friday 2 0