Study: Pedestrians Who Break Into Courtesy Jog Cross 0.04 MPH Faster, Look 300% Sorrier

DAYTON, OH—The "courtesy jog," the brief trot pedestrians break into when a driver waves them across the street, raises walking speed by just 0.04 mph while making the pedestrian look 300 percent more apologetic, according to a study released Tuesday by the Marchetti Institute for Applied Sidewalk Behavior.

Researchers observed 4,112 crossings at 38 intersections, a sample size this reporter confirmed by asking three times. The study found the jog saves the waiting driver an average of 0.6 seconds. The institute's press release called the savings "transformative." The study did not use that word, but the press release was clearer and had a photo.

Apology was measured on the institute's Sheepishness Index, which scores shoulder hunch, the raised thank-you palm, and a facial expression coders labeled "sorry, mildly, in general."

"Ninety-seven percent of subjects resume a normal stroll the instant both feet reach the curb," said lead researcher Dr. Helena Vosk. "The jog is not about getting across. The jog is a receipt."

Vosk said she is more troubled by a growing share of subjects who perform the jog for parked cars, for cars stopped at red lights and, in one documented case, for a mailbox. Asked how many mailboxes were in the sample, Vosk said one. "We waved at him from the mailbox to see what would happen," she said. "He jogged again."

Gary Pruitt, 61, of Dayton, was recorded performing a 1.4-second jog across an empty street. He defended it as "a matter of basic decency."

"Somebody lets you go, you show them you're hurrying," Pruitt said. "You don't just saunter in front of a man's bumper like you own the asphalt."

Pruitt admitted he is still not sure the car he jogged for had a driver.

"It was a Sunday. The engine was off," he said. "But you don't know. You can't ever know."