This is a really unhelpful attitude - it's not just rude, it actually goes against understanding the problem we are trying to solve.
I disagree. If we agree that drivers definitely need to do more to keep pedestrians safe, there's no reason why we can't hold pedestrians to the same standard and have them do their part to keep themselves safe and avoid an accident that could cost them their lives.
You make it sound like its something super difficult to do and requires alot of effort and training to have pedestrians look, be alert and think before they cross and yet its so simple that its mind boggling why its not automatic. Again everyone locks their door before they leave their home without a second thought, why can't we get people to look around and make sure the way is safe before crossing be automatic as well especially when your life is on the line?
Any roadway is a perceptual and cognitive nightmare for individuals whether walking, cycling, or driving. One is attending to many things in many different directions. Lighting and visibility is variable and often adverse. Interpreting motion is often difficult.
As a pedestrian if you're paying attention its easy as hell to see most if not all vehicles around you and react accordingly. Unless you're walking on a country road with no street lighting and the cars that are driving around all have no headlights on, its near impossible for an alert and aware person to not see a vehicle approaching them.
Why not try it yourself as an experiment? The next time you're walking around, just be aware of where cars are in relation to you and whether or not they may pose a threat to you and keep doing that when you're crossing a street and see if a car is able to get close to you without you knowing about it?
I was appalled by where some normally thoughtful people have taken the whole "reflector" discussion. The police may have deserved some rebuke for taking credit for a solution that was condescending and tone-deaf to data and fact, but that doesn't make reflectors silly. They are essential, but they aren't a silver bullet - they may not solve some situations that are currently killing pedestrians, but they are damn worthwhile in others.
How is it condescending to simply offer a reflector that may help drivers see people more easily? There are countless times while driving that I could barely see pedestrians at night until I was very close to them because they were wearing dark clothing that made them blend in with the surroundings so well and I often saw them only because I saw their legs moving.
Again we would all love to have drivers be perfect and courteous and always thinking about pedestrian safety, but you and I both know that is fantasy and not reality, so knowing that why wouldn't you take all possible measures to protect yourself that you can against all the bad drivers out there?
On the other side when I'm driving I sure as hell wish every pedestrian would be constantly looking around while crossing the street so that they don't get surprised by a bad driver that might hit them otherwise. A pedestrian that is fully alert might still get struck by a vehicle anyways, but wouldn't you agree that the odds would be dramatically lower if they were paying attention and had at least a slim chance to react to a situation?