Post #1620096
2026-03-20 18:00 UTC
@AlisonW @LexYeen @grote it literally is a crime and is punishable by fine in: Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Slovenia, and more.
In a lot of countries it’s not necessarily punishable but it’s still a crime and you may be found liable if an accident occurs while you jaywalk and there’s a crossing nearby.
Granted, the fines in most countries are low, and more often than not, unless you literally cross in front of a police car, you will not be punished, but insinuating that somehow only in America you can’t cross the road anywhere if there’s a crossing in your vicinity is downright malicious
Replies (1)
-
@AlisonW@fedimon.uk 2026-03-20 23:37
@nrab @LexYeen @grote Oh dear no. "Jaywalking is the act of pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway if that act contravenes traffic regulations. The term jay-walker originated in the United States as a derivation of the phrase jay-driver (the word jay meaning a greenhorn, or rube[1]), referring to people who drove horse-drawn carriages and automobiles on the wrong side of the road. The term is not a historically neutral one." The *term* is USAian, and whilst causing an accident by not using a nearby formal crossing point may be taken as contributory it isn't actually "illegal" per se. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking