How can we completely eliminate any possibility of pedestrians being hit by drivers when crossing the street?

Engineering a Zero-Risk Pedestrian Traffic System

Objective: Design a system that completely eliminates the possibility of pedestrians being hit by vehicles, ignoring political, cultural, or financial constraints.

I. Fundamental Flaws of Existing Pedestrian Signal Systems

Flaw	Description
Lack of physical separation	Pedestrians and vehicles share the same surface, relying only on rules and signals — essentially a gamble.
Signals are passive controllers	They can’t adapt to real-time anomalies like slow walkers or fast vehicles.
Human error and reaction time	Fatigue, distraction, or misjudgment can’t be prevented by current systems.
No real-time enforcement	Nothing forces a vehicle to stop for a pedestrian once they're in a crosswalk.
Signals lack predictive capability	They can't adjust based on real-time speed, density, or behavior.

II. Engineering a Truly Collision-Proof Pedestrian System

1. Citywide Physical Segregation

• All pedestrian paths become elevated walkways or tunnels.
• Ground-level roads are completely off-limits to pedestrians.
• Crossings occur only through sealed overpasses or underground links.
• Roadways are fenced or walled from all pedestrian access.

2. Mandatory Vehicle AI and LIDAR-Based Braking Systems

• Every vehicle must include LIDAR and AI for pedestrian detection.
• Road sensors detect pedestrian entry and alert vehicles in real time.
• Vehicles automatically brake when pedestrians are detected — drivers have no override capability.

3. Autonomous-Only Zones in Pedestrian-Dense Areas

• Ban human-driven vehicles from downtowns and busy zones.
• Use AI-controlled vehicles managed by a central urban traffic system.
• Allow human driving only in rural or closed-loop zones.

4. Smart Adaptive Signal Systems

• Install 360-degree cameras and real-time AI processors at each intersection.
• Dynamically adjust light durations based on weather, speed, and crowd size.
• Automatically extend walk signals for elderly or disabled users.

5. Immediate Physical Enforcement for Violations

• If a car runs a red light, barriers rise instantly to stop it.
• AI alerts police or remotely disables the vehicle.
• All cars feature forced braking override systems that prevent collisions.

III. Conclusion

To achieve zero pedestrian deaths, three conditions must be met:

1. Total physical separation of pedestrians and vehicles through redesigned infrastructure.
2. Full AI control of vehicles with mandatory braking and detection systems, immune to human override.
3. Smart real-time monitoring to replace outdated fixed-timing signals with intelligent environmental sensing.