# In America, we don't stop for JayWalkers! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177 "2005-10-21T01:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/1 "2005-10-21T01:00:53Z")
While driving on a busy 3-lane blvd, suddenly and abruptly, traffic stopped. A driver, three cars up took it upon herself to stop for a Jaywalker of the same nationality. Hurridly, the two distrustful drivers behind her, changed lanes leaving me directly behind her. Before you could say Deja-vu, three blocks down, without warning, again this woman stopped in the left-hand lane to allow another mid-block Jaywalker on the otherside of the street,cross. There was again, an obvious commonality between the driver and the scofflaw. I guess the driver felt enriched and obligated to stop for a fellow countryman, afterall, were all in America now, we can be proud! Another craptacular day of diversified driving. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/2 "2005-10-21T01:18:53Z")
Translation: A black driver stopped to let a black pedestrian cross the street? Pakistani/Pakistani? Korean/Korean? ???/??? Is it the stopping for a pedestrian that’s got your panties in a bunch? Or is something else at play here? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/3 "2005-10-21T01:22:47Z")
Yes, damn you! Run 'im over! That’s the American way! Geez…you’d have twenty vehicular manslaughter convictions on your record in ten minutes if you drove that way in State College… ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/4 "2005-10-21T01:40:54Z")
You don’t suppose it’s possible she was simply being cautious? Maybe the “commonality” you saw had nothing to do with it. Maybe there wasn’t even an actual “commonality” at all. What would you have done, speed up and see how far you could toss them? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/5 "2005-10-21T01:49:55Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Translation: A black driver stopped to let a black pedestrian cross the street? > > Pakistani/Pakistani? > > Korean/Korean? > > ???/??? > > Is it the stopping for a pedestrian that’s got your panties in a bunch? Or is something else at play here? I don’t wear Panties Eddy and I generally stop for pedestrians,however, not at the risk of endangering fellow motorist. JayWalkers wait for the traffic to clear before making a run-for-it. Unless the Jaywalker is elderly or a mother and children at the risk of causing a rear-end accident, let the traffic flow brotha… ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/6 "2005-10-21T01:50:29Z")
Boy, you nailed it, **Roboto**. It’s a great coolie conspiracy to piss you off and rob you of your God-Given Contsitutional Right to Expeditious Travel. Thank fucking Og we’ve got incisive social critics like you ready to expose this swarthy plague for the inconsiderate pack of un-Merkun rats they are. You fucking :wally ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/7 "2005-10-21T01:51:26Z")
When someone walks out into traffic directly in front of me, I stop. Race has nothing to do with it. Why is race relevant to you, roboto? Quite frankly, your attitude is offensive. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/8 "2005-10-21T01:57:43Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yes, damn you! Run 'im over! That’s the American way! > > Geez…you’d have twenty vehicular manslaughter convictions on your record in ten minutes if you drove that way in State College… Tell me about it. My options were drive an hour to Altoona or drive an hour to State College. I wound up making it a point never to go to State College because the freaking jaywalkers drove me nuts! I got laughed at several times for waiting for the light in Huntingdon. Half the streets are one-way and none are more than two lanes wide. I explained that in a place like Albuquerque, where the intersection is often 8 lanes wide, the streets are six lanes wide, and traffic is moving at 40+, you only jaywalk if you’re a self-absorbed moron with a death wish. I still think I only jaywalked maybe three times in 4 years in that town. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/9 "2005-10-21T02:00:37Z")
I’m not clear on how y’all are getting race out of the OP. Way I figure it, it was an American stopping for an American: that’s the common nationality. Part of our American ideal is that we look out for one another. This apparently pisses off **Mr. Roboto** , who must be a godless Communist or something, but certainly not a racist. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/10 "2005-10-21T02:08:08Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > When someone walks out into traffic directly in front of me, I stop. Race has nothing to do with it. > > Why is race relevant to you, roboto? Quite frankly, your attitude is offensive. Well lets see Muffin… Youre safely and lawfully driving your car/ride/vehicle down a very busy boulevard. (We as a general populus must have a little faith and trust that fellow motorists have a knowledge of laws governing the operation of a motor vehicle. Afterall, we all took a driving test to get a license.) Suddenly, cars swerve and brake for no apparent reason. Maybe it a child’s ball or a beloved pet, things we would all stop for, maybe it’s an elderly person with some form of dementia who needs help crossing the street…I would stop and help, would you Muffin? In this case, a driver finds it more important to stop at the risk of causing a rear-end accident, just because the jaywalker is the same flavor, not once Muffin but twice within 3-blocks. She should not have passed her driving test! ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/11 "2005-10-21T02:10:30Z")
You rear-end someone, it’s your fault. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/12 "2005-10-21T02:15:10Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > In this case, a driver finds it more important to stop at the risk of causing a rear-end accident, just because the jaywalker is the same flavor, not once Muffin but twice within 3-blocks. She should not have passed her driving test! Yep, you’re a racist :wally And you really ought to take some English as a second language lessons. Might help you gain some mastery over (or at least a less tenuous grip on) what might possibly be your native tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/13 "2005-10-21T02:21:35Z")
It’s hard to say _exactly_ what **Mr. Roboto** is relating, but I think that there is some confusion over his misuse of the word “jaywalker.” I _think_ he’s applying it to someone who was _waiting_ to cross at some place other than an intersection. Of course, this is not jaywalking. Jaywalking is crossing illegally without regard for traffic. In most jurisdictions, it’s perfectly legal to wait for a break in traffic to cross the road in the middle of a block. It _is_ bizarre and dangerous for a driver to give up their right-of-way at such a place – especially if there’s other traffic. It is also bizarre and offensive for anyone to suggest that any of this was related to people’s perceived ethnicity. Seriously, what the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Nilor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a4c791/32.png) [@Nilor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nilor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/14 "2005-10-21T02:23:58Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > You rear-end someone, it’s your fault. As long as you had a good reason to stop and checked to make sure you wouldn’t cause an accident ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/15 "2005-10-21T02:29:04Z")
Don’t try crossing in the middle of a block in Southern California. They’ll chase you down on motorcycles on the sidewalk (how that’s safer than crossing when the traffic is clear, I’ll never know). ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/16 "2005-10-21T02:30:17Z")
> [@Nilor](#): > > As long as you had a good reason to stop and checked to make sure you wouldn’t cause an accident There are some instances where a rear-end collision may not be the rear-ender’s fault, such as if the driver in front has faulty brake lights, or if the driver in front performed an illegal lane change. Slowing or stopping whilst in a lane for a pedestrian is not, so far as I know, illegal or considered reckless driving in any actionable sense. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/17 "2005-10-21T02:31:54Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > In this case, a driver finds it more important to stop at the risk of causing a rear-end accident, just because the jaywalker is the same flavor(snip) Flavor? Pistachio? Rocky Road? Blue Moon? the gall! she refused to run down pedestrians! throw her to the lions! ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/18 "2005-10-21T05:46:29Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I explained that in a place like Albuquerque, where the intersection is often 8 lanes wide, the streets are six lanes wide, and traffic is moving at 40+, you only jaywalk if you’re a self-absorbed moron with a death wish. I still think I only jaywalked maybe three times in 4 years in that town. Hell, you have to keep your wits about you even if you’re in a crosswalk and have the light. In a school zone. People will turn right over your ass if you’re not careful. We just don’t _expect_ pedestrians here, I guess. Wonder why so few people walk? ---
**Author:** ![WonJohnSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f17d59/32.png) [@WonJohnSoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonJohnSoup)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/19 "2005-10-21T08:42:55Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > While driving on a busy 3-lane blvd, suddenly and abruptly, traffic stopped. A driver, three cars up took it upon herself to stop for a Jaywalker of the same nationality. Hurridly, the two distrustful drivers behind her, changed lanes leaving me directly behind her. Before you could say Deja-vu, three blocks down, without warning, again this woman stopped in the left-hand lane to allow another mid-block Jaywalker on the otherside of the street,cross. There was again, an obvious commonality between the driver and the scofflaw. I guess the driver felt enriched and obligated to stop for a fellow countryman, afterall, were all in America now, we can be proud! Another craptacular day of diversified driving. How in the world do you tell someone’s nationality by looking at them? Or is it that certain ethnicities can just never be real “insert-nationality-here” to you? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177/20 "2005-10-21T10:14:19Z")
> [@WonJohnSoup](#): > > How in the world do you tell someone’s nationality by looking at them? Or is it that certain ethnicities can just never be real “insert-nationality-here” to you? :dubious: All furiners look the same 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-america-we-dont-stop-for-jaywalkers/327177.md?page=2)