What is "jaywalking"

by 1912, American English (said in original citation to be a Kansas City term), from jay, perhaps with notion of boldness and impudence. Related: Jaywalk; jaywalker.

vb. (present participle of jaywalk English)

Jaywalking occurs when a pedestrian crosses a roadway where regulations do not permit doing so. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers and starting to cross a crosswalk at a signalized intersection without waiting for a permissive indication to be displayed. In the United States, state statutes generally reflect the Uniform Vehicle Code in requiring drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians at crosswalks; at other locations, crossing pedestrians are either required to yield to drivers or, under some conditions, are prohibited from crossing. The term's dissemination in the 1920s and 1930s was due in part to the introduction of the automobile.

The United Kingdom does not formally describe priority regulations for drivers and pedestrians at road junctions or other locations, except with respect to marked zebra crossings where motorists are required to give way to pedestrians under defined conditions. Elsewhere, the Highway Code relies on the pedestrian making their own judgment on whether it is safe to cross based on the Green Cross Code. If the pedestrian's judgment was correct then no evasive reaction should be required by any drivers, but drivers are expected to avoid hazards and are examined on their ability to do so during the Hazard Perception Test.

Jaywalking is a term commonly used in North America to refer to illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway.

Jaywalking, Jaywalk, or Jaywalker may also refer to:

• Jaywalking (The Tonight Show): recurring segment on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• Jaywalk (Japanese band), a Japanese rock band
• Jaywalkin', 1975 album by jaxx bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
• Jaywalker (album), 2005 album by Josh Joplin
• Dee Jaywalker, Belgian punk rock musician and songwriter
• The Jaywalker, 2004 album by Duke Ellington
• The Jaywalks, Australian band
• The Jaywalker (animated short), see: Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film