

The Invention of Jaywalking

Laws against jaywalking are there to protect people from automobiles, but that's a relatively new concept in the long history of roads. A hundred years ago, pedestrians had the same right to use the streets as cars (or horses, for that matter). When a person on foot was killed by the newfangled automobiles, it was always assumed to be the driver's fault.




So what happened that relegated pedestrians to the sidewalks and cross walks? The turning point was a public relations battle over a referendum in Cincinnati. Read what happened at The Atlantic Cities. Link -via Boing Boing

(Image credit: Flickr user Jay Wilson)

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Despite all of the bizarre headline-making health and safety stories that crop up from time to time, we do not have the offence known as Jaywalking in the UK. People are allowed to cross roads wherever they see fit, except motorways.

The idea that stepping off a non-designated section of the kerb is punishable offence seems really rather bizarre from my British perspective.

This does explain why many tourists do not cross the roads in London until the Green Man light shows even if there are no vehicles nearby. :)
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