All About Jaywalking
Photo: Vivian Chen
When someone says “jaywalking,” you might picture someone crossing a street where there isn’t a designated crosswalk. It turns out that this term has a more nuanced definition than that — and it has a layered history that you might not be aware of.
Jaywalking defined
According to Oxford Living Dictionaries, “jaywalk” means “to cross or walk in the street or road unlawfully or without regard for approaching traffic.” It originates from the early 20th century, from the colloquial word “jay” which referred to a silly person plus the word “walk.” According to Merriam-Webster, jay also translates to “a greenhorn, or rube (i.e. a country bumpkin).” So, the word was a classist insult back in the early 1900s.
The history of jaywalking
According to The Bellingham Herald, the context of jaywalking coincides with the advent of the automobile. Before autos, everyone felt equally entitled to use the road, whether they were cycling, walking, or using a horse and buggy.
As cars became more popular, the rules of the road changed. Pedestrians had to share the road with cars, and vice versa. Cities establishing traffic rules had to decide whether drivers or pedestrians had the right of way in certain situations.
Drivers began adopting the term jaywalker as a way to shame pedestrians out of the roadway. It also helped enforce their personal right to driving a vehicle on public streets.
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The rules of jaywalking
Today, jaywalking has more to do with whether drivers or pedestrians must yield in a certain situation. Per The Bellingham Herald, drivers must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. If a pedestrian crosses the street outside of a crosswalk, however, they must yield to cars. In general, though, jaywalking isn’t illegal.
The only four scenarios when jaywalking is illegal are as follows:
- When a sign prohibits crossing the street.
- When a pedestrian signal displays “don’t walk” or a red hand icon.
- Diagonally crossing the road at an intersection, unless traffic control devices indicate it’s OK.
- Between adjacent intersections that have traffic control signals installed.
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News Sources: The Bellingham Herald, Merrium-Webster, Oxford Living Dictionaries
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