More like cue them into how dangerous walking out into traffic is.
Cars don't stop on a dime. Everyone knows that. If there's ok visibility there's no excuse for getting hit by one that isn't going absurdly fast (assuming you don't use a circular definition for "absurdly fast")
Sure, the car isn't supposed hit the pedestrian but the pedestrian also has an equal obligation not to just dart out into the road.
If you can't tell that somebody isn't going to throw themselves under the wheel of your car, you need to drive more slowly, so you've got time to stop when it happens.
Agree with part of it but no, pedestrians do not have an equal obligation. With power should come responsibility. In America, we seem to do the opposite, disassociate responsibility with those in power and blame victims.
I think you should take a step back and think about what you're saying.
A car can kill people.
A car can create a large amount of property damage if it is driven carelessly.
Cars can even, in extreme circumstances, be fire and chemical hazards.
Are you really sure driving doesn't include a massive amount of risk to yourself and others compared to walking period?
With power should come responsibility, sure, but "power" means "ability to affect the situation", not "joules per second." In the scenario of a pedestrian suddenly running out in front of a car which is driving at the speed limit, the pedestrian has far more power to affect the outcome (by choosing not to run into the path of the car) than the driver (who could not reasonably predict the pedestrian would behave in this manner).
Right, but since the driver has seen there's somebody on foot on the pavement, how come they haven't slowed down already? Perhaps the person could trip and fall into the road. Perhaps the person could have a fit and fall into the road. Perhaps the person is just crazy and is contemplating leaping into the road. Perhaps the person is drunk, hasn't seen you, and just fancies crossing the road there and then. It really doesn't matter. These are not capital offences.
What if that person were your son, daughter, wife, husband, parent, or whatever? Would you be so blasé over their losing their life, and all because somebody couldn't even be bothered to just move their foot a bit and press a pedal?
The power I'm talking about here isn't ability, it's literally the might and momentum of the car. And because of that power, drivers need to take more responsibility when they drive. A driver doesn't become responsible the milliseconds before they kill someone, they become responsible the moment they set foot in a car.
The ability that drivers do have is to drive defensively and keep a look out for pedestrians. That is what I'm talking about, not by frustrating Newton's 3rd law. And because of that extra ability to do damage, they must be subject to harsher scrutiny than those who can more easily suffer damage.
Cars don't stop on a dime. Everyone knows that. If there's ok visibility there's no excuse for getting hit by one that isn't going absurdly fast (assuming you don't use a circular definition for "absurdly fast")
Sure, the car isn't supposed hit the pedestrian but the pedestrian also has an equal obligation not to just dart out into the road.
And before you ask, I don't drive to work.