Police in Montreal are cracking down on what some refer to as part of Montreal culture -- jaywalking.

Although jaywalking occurs across Canada, Montreal natives are especially notorious for dangerously criss-crossing busy city streets and treating red lights as just a loose guideline.

Young, old and even mothers pushing strollers will scurry across Montreal streets ducking cars.

With road accidents claiming the lives of 10 pedestrians in Montreal since January, police have launched a five-year campaign to combat the longstanding tradition.

Yet most residents don't see a problem with the practice.

"Most of the time I don't really watch," a female jaywalker told CTV.

"As long as you can look across the streets and see there's no cars coming, I don't really see a problem with it," another woman said.

Even some tourists who visit to Montreal adopt the city's relaxed attitude about obeying traffic signals. One New Yorker told CTV that while she doesn't jaywalk at home, she felt comfortable doing it in Montreal.

"I would never jaywalk in New York because they would run me down there, but I feel somewhat safer here," she said.

However, police want to raise awareness about the deadly outcomes that jaywalking can have.

According to police, at least half of the 2006 pedestrian deaths were caused when the pedestrians disobeyed traffic signals.

"We are taking it more and more seriously because of the number of deaths in Montreal," Sgt. Gerald McGrath told CTV.

To curb the practice, police officers are posted on several downtown street corners, handing out $37 fines for crossing the street illegally.

Despite the officers' visible presence, many Montreal pedestrians are still ignoring the rules of the road.

"It's quite bad on the island of Montreal, and we're not going to change it right away -- it's going to take awhile -- but we're trying," McGrath said.

The term jaywalker originates from the United States and can be traced back to 1917.

The word 'jay' has a slang connotation to someone who is stupid, dull or unsophisticated.

There is evidence that rural people who stupidly ignored traffic regulations were referred to as a 'jaywalker' in newly industrialized U.S. cities like Boston during the early 1900s.

With a report from CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin