Many of us may have heard the term "jaywalking", while on the other hand, many of us may not have heard of it. Well, Jaywalking is a term use to describe walking in a street in a careless manner, as well as crossing a road when it is illegal to do so.
In several countries, as well as from Province to Province, or State to State, it is illegal to be a partaker of jaywalking and if a pedestrian is caught in the act, he or she can be fined. Therefore, in order to prevent pedestrians from crossing major and minor roads in a careless manner, designated points are marked for pedestrians to use in order to cross the road in a safe manner. So, to this end, there are pedestrian crossings at many intersections.
Disadvantages and Advantages of Intersection Crossings
I have heard many people saying that they prefer not to use the designated crossing at intersections because they find them very dangerous. As strange as this should sound, it is not strange at all. Indeed, in recent times children and adults have been hit by a vehicle while crossing at a crossing, which includes those at intersections.
Some of the reasons put forth concerning how dangerous crossing at an intersection is, are, red light runners, turning vehicles and quick changing crossing signals. While all these reasons may be valid, accidents can be reduced if we keep our eyes on the traffic before stepping onto the street as well as while crossing it.
On the other hand, an intersection crossing gives the assurance that we will be able to cross the road without having to "fight" with a steady flow of traffic. This is so important especially when crossing with children. Additionally, if for any reason, a vehicle should hit you while walking on the crossing and charges are brought against the driver, you have the advantage because it's assumed you were using the road in a responsible manner. On the other hand, Jaywalking does not provide these assurances.
However, in many countries its government has been working to make the streets safer for both drivers and pedestrians. One such resent project is the pedestrian scramble in Toronto.
So, legal or not, it is always prudent to be careful when using the roads.
