How Cars Won the Early Battle for the Streets
Angie Schmitt from Streetsblog Capitol Hill makes this point:
"A clever and concerted marketing campaign by auto interests emerged in the 1930s and helped paint pedestrians as bumbling and accident prone, inventing, for instance, the concept of jaywalking. Auto interests also hit upon a winning strategy by portraying resistance to automobiles as “old-fashioned” and “anti-progress,” according to Norton. The rest is history."
I agree we need to get rid of this stereotype of bumbling distracted pedestrians
And this campaign designed by backroom windshield perspective "professionals" with no vetting among key stakeholders is wrong both in concept and procedurally. Since I have started contributing to this blog, I have watched Maryland's pedestrian fatality rate climb steadily up and I have seen other States reduce their pedestrian fatality rate. The combination has skyrocketed us the the 4th highest ranking, if other states can lower their pedestrian fatality rate, we should be following what they have done and stop with the blaming the victim.
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