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.
When you cross the road you know there is a risk. Driving down the road you dont typically have a huge risk.
Especially when its legal to drive down the road and illegal to cross the road outside the crosswalks.
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?
Do you stand on train tracks and blame the train ?
How is this difficult to understand ?
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 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.