The car made pedestrians second-class citizens. Don’t let driverless vehicles push us off the road altogether | Adam Tranter

The UK government announced its plans to fast-track driverless vehicle trials in the UK .

One of the key companies involved noted that London presents a significant challenge: “It has seven times more jaywalkers than San Francisco’s ” The term “jaywalker” was invented in the 1920s by the US motor industry, and it reveals a lot about its attitude to pedestrians.

Jay ’ was a derogatory term at the time, meaning bumpkin or idiot.

Driverless vehicles may still help us solve some real transport problems.

But if they come at the cost of our freedom to walk across the street, then we’re solving the wrong ones.

It means ensuring that safety, equity and public space are not traded in the name of innovation.