Jaywalking is when pedestrians fail to cross streets at designated intersections or crosswalks. It can be considered a misdemeanor and result in a large fine. It is also dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers. The term originated in the early 20th century and referred to unsophisticated individuals crossing the street in a haphazard manner.
The term jaywalking actually covers a multitude of pedestrian infractions, mostly involving failing to cross city streets at designated intersections or crosswalks. It may be considered a misdemeanor if a police officer deems the pedestrian’s actions a deliberate violation of an existing ordinance. If not, the officer may choose to issue a stern warning against future infractions. The fine for a ticket can be surprisingly large, similar to moving violations for drivers.
Jaywalking can be a very dangerous practice for both pedestrians and drivers. Drivers may anticipate other drivers returning to their parked vehicles, but may not be prepared for pedestrians suddenly crossing the road between those parked cars. Even if traffic conditions are slow in one direction, a jaywalker may find himself trapped in the road when vehicles appear in the oncoming lane.
Another inherent danger is a sudden change of direction by a pedestrian. Crosswalk intersections are designed to allow pedestrian traffic to cross laterally, not diagonally. Vehicular traffic continues to legally flow in the opposite direction, but some pedestrians choose to cross the traffic diagonally to save illegal time. Crossing the street against the flow of traffic or changing direction midway are perhaps the most flagrant violations of the jaywalking ordinances.
It is said that the origin of the term coincides with the arrival of the “horseless carriage” around the end of the 20th century. The word “jay” had several connotations at the time, but the one that seemed to best describe the dangerous practice involved an unsophisticated rube. Haphazardly crossing the street or ignoring other pedestrian rules in a big city would be considered typical behavior for an uneducated jay. Thus, many early ordinances adopted this slang term to describe the violation itself. Although the derisive slang term fell out of use decades ago, the name has stuck around to describe the ill-advised practice of crossing a road between intersections.
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