That can refer to defending the country from attack at the national level or providing for law enforcement and first responders at the local level.

Since the Declaration of Independence emphasizes that the right to life is universal, it makes sense to have these government organizations in place to ensure that right is protected.

It’s interesting, however, how so many of us come to regard public safety-focused traffic regulations as more of a gray area.

Just drive down I-15 and what I’m talking about becomes self-evident.

The official speed limit along the Wasatch Front is 70 miles per hour (mph) but I think it’s probably fair to say that more than half of drivers are going at least 1-5 mph over the limit, while half of those drivers go 6-10 mph over the limit.

And we’ve all seen the roughly 5% of drivers who blaze down the freeway going more than 80 mph, seemingly unconcerned about either being pulled over or the additional potential for injury if an accident occurred.

That doesn’t even take into account illegal lane changes, failure to signal, illegal use of the HOV lane, tailgating and other risky driving habits.

Yet despite the potential For serious harm and even death inherent in dangerous driving, our enforcement of traffic laws in the United States is generally pretty casual — particularly compared to other countries.

I know from personal experience that getting caught by a camera going just 1 kilometer per hour over the speed limit in Switzerland will get you mailed a fairly significant traffic fine. To be fair, I was warned before driving in Switzerland that would be the case, but still got caught going faster than I should’ve been going.

It’s not something I’ve ever experienced in three decades of driving here in America.

I have mixed opinions about whether the benefits of that type of enforcement are worth the costs on our freeways, but there are specific locations in every city where I definitely think they should be implemented:

Crosswalks – particularly near our schools.

The whole purpose of crosswalks is to give pedestrians a location where they can safely get from one side of the street to the other. It’s certainly not complicated but far too often that protection is completely ignored.

In my experience, people of all ages will push boundaries unless consequences are enforced. Children are often more obvious about it, but adults are frequently just as guilty.

So I think it’s past time that we use appropriate technology to hold anyone who violates crosswalk laws accountable and make the consequences significant.

The Governors Highway Safety Association estimates the approximately 2,558 people died in crosswalks in the U.S. in 2025. That’s more than 2,500 individuals Who were supposed to be in a location where they would be protected – but ended up dying instead.

Closer to home, I suspect that every school crossing guard can tell a host of horror stories about near-misses and even injuries resulting from distracted or overly-aggressive drivers violating crosswalk laws. We’ve had a few instances recently here in Utah that have elevated to being publicly displayed in news articles and videos.

What if the next casualty or fatality is your child or grandchild headed off to school, only to be hit by a driver who is distracted by eating a bagel or changing the radio station or rushing to work too fast or – most likely of all – on their cell phone?

It’s a tragedy that doesn’t need to happen and I think we can and should do more to prevent it.

I never checked the statute but when I was driving in Europe, I was told that if I hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk in that country, my license would be revoked forever. That type of consequence makes you pay very close attention around crosswalks.

I think the risks warrant implementing the same restrictions here in Utah.

I want to see traffic cameras installed at crosswalk intersections and violators cited, fined, and even have driving privileges taken away.

I think pedestrians and drivers should know their actions are being monitored and failure to comply with the appropriate laws will have severe consequences.

I think it’s time that kids and crossing guards have the support and protection they deserve.

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Daily Herald and can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.