> To me it's the same if a driver cuts in front of me and then slams on their brakes, there was nothing I could have done about crashing into them no matter how safely I was driving.

It shouldn't be. The risk to you is much greater if you hit another car, than if you hit a pedestrian.

Addtionally, while you are right that a car can't stop on a dime, speeds have a large influence on the size of coin needed for a car to come to a complete stop. And I think we both know that they are not linear.

Over the decades, posted speed limits in North America have only increased.

https://www.brake.org.uk/files/images/Speed/Infographics/_la...