Nothing will ever be the same again with self-driving cars. And the speech also concerns the laws of the Highway Code: in California the crime of Jaywalking is about to be canceled (when pedestrians cross outside the lines or where it is not allowed). Reason?
The new cars, now all with automatic pedestrian-saving braking systems, are changing investment statistics. And to further increase their safety in the US, they still want to give more power to pedestrians, canceling the jaywalking violation.
It all stems from a bill (which will come into force on January 1st) recently signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, baptized “Freedom to walk”: pedestrians will no longer be fined if they cross outside designated intersections or when the their traffic light is red.
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Of course, with some limitations: pedestrians could still be fined by the police – $ 250 – if they create a safety hazard. It must be said that in California cars with automatic braking systems are widespread (they make up over 70 per cent of circulation, we in Italy are still at 10 per cent) and that with the arrival of self-driving cars this percentage is destined to increase again.
But there are also other, less technological and more political reasons that led to the cancellation of the crime of jaywalking. Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco, who helped write the rule, said it was time to “reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really protect pedestrians. “. Others have accused that jaywalking laws unfairly target specific groups. Data cited by Ting’s office from the California Racial and Identity Profiling Act shows that black Californians are up to 4.5 times more likely to be stopped for jaywalking than those who are white.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, motorists and motorcyclists killed 7,485 pedestrians in 2021, the highest number of deaths in a single year in four decades, a 12% increase from the previous year.
