Jaywalkers cross the road wherever they want rather than waiting for street
corners or marked crosswalks. What is the origin of the word "jaywalker"?
A. In 1924, the Chicago Police Department encouraged their city council to
write an ordinance prohibiting pedestrians from crossing streets mid-block.
The typical scofflaw pedestrian was described as following a path resembling
the letter "J" as he crossed the road and continued down the opposite side.
It is not clear if it was the city council or newspapers covering the story
that first came up with word "jaywalker," but that word was included in the
ordinance adopted by Chicago in 1925.
B. In the 1920s, "jay" was a contemptuous term for an unsophisticated
hillbilly. Also in the '20s, cars commonly collided with and killed
pedestrians. There was a push to govern cars' top speeds and otherwise
restrict the use of cars. The automotive lobby promoted the use of the
derogatory word "jaywalker" as a way to indicate it was foolish pedestrians
rather than drivers who were responsible for the numerous collisions. This
shaming of "jaywalkers" successfully promoted the notion that roads were
built primarily for cars. "Jaywalker" helped get rules written for
pedestrians and got more pedestrians to comply with those rules.
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