How did "signal ignorance" come to be regarded as a crime?

byJESHOOTS.com · Photography

In Japan, when the pedestrian ignores the signal, it is stipulated by the Road Traffic Law that it can be treated as a fine of 2,000 yen or less or a petty. Behaviors "Pedestrians avoid cars so as not to cause accidents" are now obliged as usual, but in reality until the automobile dealers and manufacturers in the 1920s actively engage in activities, There was no obligation on the side of the pedestrian and it was said that "the pedestrian should avoid avoiding the car side." This turning point is the event of "criminalization of signal ignorance".

The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking" - Vox
https://www.vox.com/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history

Until 1920, America's "road" had a different aspect at all. Before the increase in the number of cars, the roads were of pedestrians, overflowing with stalls, running carriages and trams, also functioning as children's playground. There is no concept of "looking at the left when looking at the right and looking at the right again and crossing the road", pedestrians can cross the road whenever you like, there were few crosswalks Even pedestrians were ignored.


Due to the above situation, in the 1920s when cars increased, traffic accidents increased as a matter of course. In the period of about 20 years from 1901 to 1923, the number of deaths in traffic accidents jumped from less than 1,000 to more than 15,000 people.


Victims of traffic accidents due to car increase are many children and elderly people. Originally, cars tended to be regarded as "frivolous play equipment", and the anger of citizens went up as the number of deads increased. The city built a monument of the deceased children, the newspaper described the details of the death accident in a manner that blamed the driver, and in the satire the driver was regarded as a dead god.


Until the Traffic Law was enacted, it was common that people responsible for the trial were those who were on a "bigger vehicle". In other words, in the case of a collision accident between a car and a person, regardless of the situation at that time, the driver was always blamed.

Activists also made an allegation that "vehicles should be equipped with devices to reduce speed, regardless of regulation of the speed limit that the city establishes." In fact, in 1923, 42,200 Cincinnati residents signed a petition seeking to "install a speed governor that limits speed to speed 40 km / h".

Fearing such a situation, the city's car dealer sent letters to all car owners and launched advertisements.


Action by dealer side was successful, activists' movements failed. And the activities of car dealers have spread nationwide, finally the activity group that supports automobile manufacturers, dealers, and cars redefines the way of road traffic regulating the pedestrian side, not the car I will start to work with this.

The law regulating the pedestrian side with respect to road traffic was established in Kansas in 1912, but it was nationwide in the mid 1920s by the activity of the car selling side as described above. Especially it is the Commerce Secretary and becomes the 31st president laterHerbert HooverHe is eager and has developed "1928 Model Municipal Traffic Ordinance" which regulates pedestrian behavior based on Los Angeles law as a model of the road traffic law that can be used nationwide. As a result, pedestrians who were walking in a favorite place whenever they wanted were regulated to walk only on "a place with a crosswalk".

However, even if the law was enacted, the situation continued that "no one follows the rules". Moreover, it was rare for the police to get caught or to go to court without obeying the rules.

Therefore, the American Automobile Chamber of Commerce and Industry established a free communications company for newspaper companies. A reporter described the details of a traffic accident and created a mechanism to be published as an article the next day. Prior to that, the newspaper told that the responsibility of the traffic accident is in the car, the new communication company widely told that the responsibility of the accident is in the pedestrian and that it is important to obey the new rules.

At the same time, the American Automobile Association also supports a school safety campaign and traffic safety poster contest. In 1925, a 12-year-old child who did not cross the road safely was sentenced to a trial and a campaign was held in which a judge role member was sentenced to "a weekly blackboard cleaning".

These are not only "dangerous" but also appealing to the feeling of "shame" by people. Even when cracking off persons who violate the traffic law, they acted quietly, not by fines, but by using whistle or raising a loud voice, passers-by would be thought "embarrassing". Ignoring signals in English is called "jaywalking", but at that time the word "jay" had the meaning of "hidden". This is also attached with the intention to overwhelm the sense of shame of the parties by giving the impression "people who do not know how to walk in the city".

There are a few people who know the origin of the word "jaywalk" but the campaign succeeded and as of 2018 the idea of ​​"signal ignorance is impossible" has penetrated.