Watch Your Step
This 1920's automotive campaign made jaywalking a crime. It also opened the door to corporate spin.
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In this issue: When was the last time you used a crosswalk? Your answer likely depends on the level of traffic law enforcement in your zip code. Prior to 1923, traffic policy assigned blame to the driver in an accident, not the pedestrian. As automobile use gained speed during the 1920’s, so did automotive accidents, with pedestrian fatalities overwhelmingly affecting children and elders. In response to the lack of public trust in automobiles, a ballot initiative was introduced in Cincinnati, which called for stricter enforcement of speed limits. This resulted in a coordinated lobbying effort from automakers and special interest groups and the ballot initiative failed. It also opened the door to corporate spin, as automakers rallied behind a smear campaign to restrict pedestrians. They influenced news cycles, emphasized street safety in schools, and shamed pedestrians with a new term: jaywalking.
Opposing Traffic
The etymology of jaywalking is interesting. During the 1920’s, its use was equated with using a slur, similar to hick — someone who was from the middle of nowhere who didn’t understand how to navigate city life. Auto lobbyists propagated the term jaywalker as someone who didn’t know how to walk safety across a city street. Repeated use of jaywalking gained momentum, especially once incorporated into public safety announcements and policing briefings. In one example, a 1924 New York safety parade featured a clown continuously rammed into by a Model T. Police were similarly instructed by auto groups to make a spectacle of anyone who stepped out of line, shouting at and even carrying offenders back to a sidewalk rather than issuing citations.
Learn more about the word that redefined traffic policy here:
Right of Way
Fast forward to 1991, when Tupac Shakur was violently detained in Oakland on jaywalking charges. Once released, Shakur retained the legal services of John Burris, who sued the Oakland Police Department for $10 million. At the time, Burris received five new police brutality cases per day, most of which were due to presumed jaywalking or traffic stop violations. Tupac Shakur’s case settled out of court for $42,000.
Historians, legal scholars, and everyday citizens can attest to this: jaywalking shouldn’t be a crime. So, why is it?
In the 1920’s, and prior to formal driver’s education, upwards of 200,000 people died in car accidents. In 1925, 7,000 children were killed. One of the affected parents, Barnett Wartell, wrote then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover a letter emphasizing automotive risks to public safety. This initiated a gear shift on public perception, with newspapers and cartoonists portraying drivers as the Grim Reaper. It also caught the attention of automobile executive, George Graham, who soon established an automaker-led news service that was operated by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce. Its purpose was to control how car accidents were reported and who was assigned blame.
Listen to Peter Norton discuss the intersections of auto industry perception and jaywalking messaging here:
Signs and Signals
Crosswalk culture around the world is often seen as customary.
India: Pedestrians cross streets wherever it’s convenient, following the usual traffic flow.
Egypt and Thailand: Pedestrians independently assess traffic flow and speed and may not yield to signals when crossing the street.
Australia and United Kingdom: Pedestrians generally use crosswalks and jaywalking is habitual, with a low risk of any traffic penalties.
Germany: Crosswalks are regularly observed and vehicles are strictly required to stop for pedestrians.
Singapore: Pedestrians strictly adhere to crosswalk culture and face harsh penalties for littering or spitting on sidewalks.
Denmark and The Netherlands: Extensive bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly zones are typically utilized rather than adherence to crosswalks.
Italy and France: Car-free citywide policies and pedestrian-friendly zones take priority over crosswalk usage.
South Korea: Pedestrians use smart crosswalks, sourcing ground lighting to detract from continuous phone use when crossing the street.
Brazil: Pedestrians signal to drivers when they intend to cross the street, rather than rely on crosswalks to determine safe passage.
Japan: Pedestrians walk on the left-side of sidewalks and look to the right to assess oncoming traffic prior to using crosswalks.
Open Road
It’s important to note that the criminalization of jaywalking in the United States predominantly affects marginalized communities, particularly residents living in low-income housing whose immediate environment lacks the infrastructure that clearly delineates crosswalk and sidewalk boundaries. Decriminalizing jaywalking helps to course correct for the frequency of pretextual jaywalking stops, while also giving agency to community-led initiatives that reimagine the design of public spaces.
Interested in how car ads jumpstarted media sensationalism? Kick the tires.
As always, thank you for joining me on this road!
Stay the course,
Sam
Sam Reetz, is a filmmaker, performer, and founder at Millennial Ethics, creating narrative solutions to complex issues.
Follow her work on Bluesky, Substack and Instagram.
