The Invention of ‘Jaywalking’

In the 1920s, the public hated cars. So the auto industry fought back — with language.

A 1921 card handed out to pedestrians, with the newfangled term “jaywalking”

This is the story of how, in the 1920s, the auto industry chased people off the streets of America — by waging a brilliant psychological campaign.

They convinced the public that if you got run over by a car, it was your fault.