Tom Vanderbilt defends jaywalking in the Nov. 2 issue of Slate . Jaywalking is crossing a street outside of a recognized crosswalk, and it may or may not be an offense in various cities and towns.
I try to always be a law-abiding citizen but I must admit that I jaywalk regularly. I'm an adult. I look both ways and cross when there are no cars in sight. I always do this to cross a street a half mile away in my suburban neighborhood, as I believe the light at that corner is a far more dangerous place to cross. Cars turning right think they have the right of way, even though I have the walk signal. They aren't expecting pedestrians in the crosswalk. That makes it far more dangerous than crossing down the street after ensuring no traffic is coming in either direction.
We teach kids to obey the signals, and I am a good role model when children are present. But on my own, I trust my own eyes more than a driver determined to make a turn across the crosswalk I am occupying. I try to make eye contact with drivers and even wave at them while crossing to try to ensure my safety.
The good news is that the 40% of pedestrian deaths are people with measurable blood alcohol levels, usually walking after dark. I don't walk after dark if I've had a drink. While we may be dismayed by distracted walkers who are texting or blabbing on cell phones, or oblivious with their iPods, it's really the booze that is associated with the death rate.
Do you jaywalk? Do you think I'm a risky fool? Answer the poll and join in the Comments.
Actually, I just saw a study that said more pedestrians are killed when in the crosswalks that cars are supposed to stop for than when jaywalking. My guess is jaywalkers may be a little more cautious when they know they are not in a supposedly “protected” area.
You’re absolutely right.
Another good practice is never to walk in front of a car stopped for exiting a driveway. Walk BEHIND it. The driver is looking for CARS, not a walker.
I agree with Charles King. On my daily walk I try to stay in residential areas and parks. There is one spot on my walk where I have to cross a exiting driveway. The drivers are so intent on car traffic that most never even look my way. I just wait for them to do their thing. Even when walking behind them I have seen them back up when they realize they are blocking the sidewalk!
I read the jaywalking article, and then had to run (drive) some errands, so I tried to pay attention to what I was doing. When at an intersection, I found myself focusing on the traffic, and looking at the traffic lights, espcially when I was going to make a turn and not really looking for pedestrians. I think we tend to focus on traffic things when driving, rather than looking down the sidewalk/shoulder/crosswalk for pedestrians.
I think drivers and pedestrians both share some blame at crosswalks. How many times do we come to a crosswalk with a signal, the signal is flashing “don’t walk”, but we decide we can make it all the way across anyway. And as mentioned in the article, a driver may not notice someone in the crosswalk. Or how many times when driving, do we try to rush around the corner to beat the person in the crosswalk. I think at one time, there was a law in Seattle that it was illegal for a driver to enter an intersection if there was a pedestrian in the crosswalk. It was great in theory, but I think it caused some traffic problems.
Something to remember if you are jaywalking, and yes, I do it, too. If you are jaywalking and are involved in an accident, it may affect you legally. A case could be made that an accident was the pedestrian’s fault, because that person shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
I seemed to have rambled a bit here. Sorry my post was so long.
So you jaywalk….aren’t you SPECIAL!!!
LOL, Colin – apparently, we’re not special, as the poll is running strongly to the “Sometimes” and “Frequent” jaywalkers.
Why is it illegal? Sober adults do it with no more risk than crossing with the pedestrian light at an intersection, according to stats. Guess that’s what makes me a libertarian.
I frequently jaywalk in the middle of the block. Intersections are far more dangerous and just down the street from my house has had numerous car accidents with cars making left hand turns off a busy street. I avoid that and go down the street.
THOUGH JAYWALKING IS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE TO THE WALKER, IT MAY NOT BE THE SAME TO OTHERS. ONE SHOULDN’T ENJOY AT THE DUISCOMFITURE OF OTHER USERS OF PUBLIC ROADS.
Laws regarding jaywalking may fall into that class of laws that made perfect sense at the time they were enacted and have outlived their usefulness. That being said, I have to agree with what a previous poster said about a pedestrian being compromised in a legal sense if he or she is involved in an accident while jaywalking.
To me, the larger question is, why do parents expect kids to follow rules they unrepentantly break? Even if one is “a perfect role model” when children are present, it still seems hypocritical.
Yes, I suppose it is hypocritical. In my defense — I’m not a parent and I never walk with children. If I am at a crossing signal and there are children in the vicinity, I obey the signal fully, even if there is no traffic. The rest of the time, parents can use me as the bad example if they spot me from a few blocks away.
For the crossing I make a half mile from home, I usually am crossing at a point that is legally an unmarked crosswalk, as there is a street corner on the other side of the road. But I may cross before or after it if there is no traffic at that point. While it’s possible that I’ll trip in the middle of the road and be too incapacitated to get out of the way of traffic coming along later, I make my crossing ONLY when there is no traffic coming in 4 blocks in any direction.
Hey Wendy,
I apologize if I was harsh in my previous note. I have re-read it and while I stand by my point, it does seem that I could have phrased it without having such an accusatory tone.
It does not surprise me that more pedestrians are killed at crosswalks as that could have happened to me a couple of weeks ago in Belfast (where I live). I was at a set of traffic lights when the green man came on to let pedestrians cross. I checked to make sure there were no cars still moving (even though their light would have been red). As it was clear I stepped onto the 1st lane and was half way across it when a man driver (of course) came from nowhere and only for my quick reactions and getting out of his way I could have been thrown by his car flying through the red lights (as they were still red then). I did manage to get across safely but was very shaken.
Many years ago (20+) I saw a show on PBS about feral dogs in cities. The ones that avioded being hit by cars, crossed in the middle of the block. You only need to worry about cars from 2 directions; as opposed to 4 directions at an intersection. I guess dogs aren’t that smart. Ever since seeing that show I’ve been a jaywalker.
“…, as I believe the light at that corner is a far more dangerous place to cross. Cars turning right think they have the right of way, even though I have the walk signal. They aren’t expecting pedestrians in the crosswalk.”
Exactly! At least in Pittsburgh, it is by far more safer to jaywalk then ever cross at the light. I try to walk two miles a day downtown during my lunch hour. The amount of drivers that yield to a walker in the crosswalk (with the cross signal) is less than 20%. I’ve been cursed at several times because I “got in (their) way.”