City streets were once public space; a place for pedestrians, pushcart vendors, horse-drawn vehicles, streetcars, and children at play.
In the 1920s with the spread of cars, the number of people killed by cars skyrocketed.
Some cities even demanded that manufacturers put devices on vehicles to limit their speeds in city environs.
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This strategy also explains the name that was given to crossing illegally on foot: jaywalking. During this era, the word "jay" meant something like "rube" or "hick" — a person from the sticks, who didn't know how to behave in a city. So pro-auto groups promoted use of the word "jay walker" as someone who didn't know how to walk in a city, threatening public safety.
At first, the term was seen as offensive, even shocking. Pedestrians fired back, calling dangerous driving "jay driving."
Much more with pictures @ The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking" - Vox - Pocket
