Just bringing some perspective from a country with a lot of idiots (that's what they are -- idiots) needlessly risking their lives.
You want to take out your air-conditioned garbage-spewing box out to race across the city without a single care for anyone else using the streets? Well I think you're an idiot for advocating towards that selfish goal.
> but I think it's idiotic for pedestrians to follow the same intersection rules as a 2 ton vehicle.
I mostly opt for having rules on the pedestrian side. But each person should be careful about their own life and constantly be aware of the current risk.
Recently I've had to take some "defensive pedestrian" tactics and strategies at certain crosswalks at certain corners at certain times of day. It's a little more than the usual common sense for when walking around in an urban environment, but it's helped.
However, if the driver was half their age, all else equal, would we say the DMV should assess if they're competent to drive? The primary cause of the accident could be independent of age.