If a pedestrian has the right of way, why should the impetus be on them to be mindful? Why shouldn't the impetus be on drivers to slow down? Why should pedestrians live in constant fear of being killed when the law should protect them?
The law asserts justice, it does not protect against negligence in the moment it is happening. In the case of crossing the road, with a many thousand pound hunk of metal vs a human being, the human will overwhelmingly bear the brunt of the immediate harm.
It seems pretty obvious to me that being a mindful pedestrian is simply a matter of self preservation
Right of way means cars are obligated to stop when you cross the street. It doesn't solve the practical issue of drivers needing at least some time to react, even if they are paying complete attention and driving at a reasonable, safe speed.
Difficulty of looking both ways and pausing for a second before you cross the street: 1 unit. Difficulty of getting getting every single driver in any area where pedestrians have the right of way to drive slow enough that they can make a safe stop assuming any pedestrian can legally dart into the street without warning: 1,000,000,000 units.
And yet I've seen plenty of people turn 90 degrees across a street at their usual walking pace with no pause and with their eyes on their phone and headphones in their ears.
If you want to spin that particular chamber of probability because legally you're technically protected, honestly I feel worse for the driver who has to live with that memory now and wonder what they possibly could have done to prevent it short of just never driving a car at all.
