Should jaywalking be illegal?

[Bishka]

Should jaywalking be illegal? Is it our responsiblity as individuls to deermine whether it is safe to cross the road or is it the governments? In most of the US, there are jaywalking laws, in the UK there is not (source here), do you think that this makes the pedistrians safer in the US or in the UK?

 

[ALifetimeToWaitFor....]

I just know that you have to be pretty stupid to get hit by a car, even in a major city. To me its like sitting at a red light at 3 in the morning for five minutes and theirs not another soul on the road.

 

[Comprehend]

Should jaywalking be illegal? Is it our responsiblity as individuls to deermine whether it is safe to cross the road or is it the governments? In most of the US, there are jaywalking laws, in the UK there is not (source here), do you think that this makes the pedistrians safer in the US or in the UK?

I like the fact that jaywalking is illegal simply because it doesn't really hurt anyone's ability to cross the street (it may make them have to walk ALL THE WAY to the corner, poor babies) but in the meantime, it does help make the streets safer. This way, a driver may properly anticipate where pedestrians will cross their paths and be more careful. Generally I like individual freedom but when it can increase safety and not really inhibit liberty, I will support it.

 

[Buttercup]

I think it should be illegal but I do it all the time anyway.

 

[standing_alone]

Jaywalking should be a capital offense.

 

[jacquie4000]

I

think it should be illegal but I do it all the time anyway.
___________________________

Agree....and Guilty also.

 

[PHOTOTAKER]

i thank it puts a little blame off of the driver although the drive is problable going to go to jail anyway...

 

[Fluffy]

No. I quite like jaywalking and if I get run over then its my own damn fault and I don't need protection from myself. Why not bring in a law requiring mandatory pillow fluffing so I don't get a bad back?

 

[Booko]

Should jaywalking be illegal? Is it our responsiblity as individuls to deermine whether it is safe to cross the road or is it the governments? In most of the US, there are jaywalking laws, in the UK there is not (source here), do you think that this makes the pedistrians safer in the US or in the UK?

Sure it's our responsilibility for us to determine if it's safe to cross the road..

And if we mess up and someone hits us, we can still sue their pants off and maybe get them tossed in jail to boot.

 

[Booko]

I just know that you have to be pretty stupid to get hit by a car, even in a major city. To me its like sitting at a red light at 3 in the morning for five minutes and theirs not another soul on the road.

Not by me it ain't. I live near Peachtree Industrial, a 6-lane road with turning lane. There are crossing lights, and drivers blow red lights all the time. People also get run over in that area frequently, through no fault of their own.

 

[ALifetimeToWaitFor....]

Not by me it ain't. I live near Peachtree Industrial, a 6-lane road with turning lane. There are crossing lights, and drivers blow red lights all the time. People also get run over in that area frequently, through no fault of their own.

Oh i guess im not thinking like on a six lane road, but like downtown areas. I've only lived in small towns and downtown in major cities and its pretty simple to see whats going to happen there. Ya that is dangerous.

 

[lunamoth]

I'm with Buttercup and Jaquie on this one...it's a good law to have and it's a good law to break when common sense dictates.

 

[Capt. Haddock]

Should jaywalking be illegal?

From my experience here in DC and elsewhere, jaywalking laws are just an excuse for the cops to earn a little baksheesh.

Totally and utterly pointless.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

...People also get run over in that area frequently, through no fault of their own.

When I read ALifetimeToWaitFor....'s first post, I figured he had never been to Hot'Lanta, GA. I seem to recall a study recently that identified Atlanta as one of the most pedestrian un-friendly cities in the country.

I'm sure many of you heard the story about the English historian who was arrested and roughed up by city of Atlanta police for jaywalking and not 'snapping to' when the cop yelled at him.

The laws against jaywalking are supposed to protect pedestrians from cars AND drivers from crazy pedestrians. I realize many people ignore them, but I also know that many drivers do not pay attention worth diddly, so I make an effort to ONLY use marked crosswalks and cross with the walk sign.

I wish they weren't, but I guess the laws are necessary to assign blame when someone gets hit by a car.

 

[Comprehend]

Sure it's our responsilibility for us to determine if it's safe to cross the road..

And if we mess up and someone hits us, we can still sue their pants off and maybe get them tossed in jail to boot.

oh great, so you would be a drooling paraplegic with a lot of cash? :areyoucra

 

[crystalclear]

i jaywalk......
and bike.....
its just when you;re pressed for time and gotta get somewhere soon and there aren't any cars for a while, why not?

 

[croak]

I said other. In Lebanon, there is no such thing as jaywalking. You could probably count the number of crosswalks there on one hand. And yes, people have been hit (memory just materialized in my head... I actually forgot it, now it's stuck there) but as far as I know, car accidents involving other cars are much more common. Now in other countries, jaywalking might be much more dangerous. I don't know. So, I say other.

I kind of feel more comfortable crossing the road in Lebanon. Why, I don't know. I still tend to run when a car is coming up, even though they're slowing down for me.

You know, people in Lebanon cross highways. And highways there aren't safer than highways anywhere else. And imagine doing that with shopping bags.

 

[Comet]

I almost got a $61 ticket for jaywalking once..... F em!!!!!!!!!!

I think we should CRACK down on jaywalkers so the cops can be busy watching cross walks with the elementary school kids and bring the DARE program back up to speed. That way the drug dealers can keep selling CRACK to our kids to make it all meaningless.....

Forget about gangs, drugs, murders, robberies, and rape.... we need to knick this jaywalking problem in the the "bud". It is a proven fact that jaywalkers that go unchallenged will smoke marijuana, which is a gate way drug that leads to CRACK, etc...

If we stop jaywalking all together: we'll have no drugs, crime, gangs, prostitution, or "bad" of any kind. Lets band together and spend our tax dollars getting on $61 tickets to prevent the mafia from furthering its agenda!!!!

The next time I jaywalk, I'm going to drop my pants and yell for the all the stupid law-makers to kiss one end or the other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mathematician]

Since our school sits right next to a major street running through the city, kids do it all the time. As a driver, it annoys the bejesus out of me to have to swerve out of the way of some kid just because he won't walk himself thirty meters and wait for the lights to change. :areyoucra

For public safety reasons, keep it illegal. It doesn't really stop anyone, though.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I say legalise it. (I just realised, if I remember correctly, no one mentioned jawwalking as a victimless crime in that thread)
I honestly don't know if it's illegal in Indiana or not. I do it anyways. I also run red-lights at 3 in the morning if thier aren't any cameras.