The term “jay” is archaic American slang for a foolish person. The term jaywalking was coined in 1915 to label a person who foolishly crossed a busy street, becoming a traffic hazard to both horses and automobiles. The newly introduced and rapidly growing automobile industry was quickly overtaking the streets and roads and vehicle/pedestrian accidents were on the rise. Jaywalking probably originated in New York City, but its first written use appeared in Kansas. The term jay-driver appeared before jaywalker and meant any driver of horse and carriages or motorized vehicles who refused to follow traffic laws. It was standard at the time to even disregard the simplest of courtesies like keeping on the right side of the road.