Jaywalking is a crime for a reason, because it's potentially deadly to the pedestrian. It seems to be much worse in small/mid-size cities (probably because of less overall traffic). I've had people literally jog into my lane then walk the remaining 4 feet to the sidewalk while I slow from 35 to 10 to avoid hitting them. I think if half the cars on the road are autonomous and will just stop no matter what you will not see the decrease in pedestrian injuries and deaths some are expecting.
Jaywalking is a crime because automakers wanted it to be. It had more to do with increasing the speed and utility of cars than it did with pedestrian safety (nobody gives a shit, and nobody gets in trouble for killing pedestrians with automobiles) [1].
I hope autonomous cars can help re-enable the peaceful co-existence of multiple modes of transportation on our streets.
