And of cars that don't have these sort of systems in the first place?

Thinking that through, we can expect post-collision inspections (by insurance companies or police) to include a dump of the state of the current code(s) in a vehicle as well as any available data from just before a collision - speed profile, braking, signaling, etc. - which might be used in court to argue liability claims.

> Why should automotive control systems be different?

Perhaps because you can't just pull a plane over on the side of the road if something goes wrong?

A lot of things on a car are held to different (lesser) standards than aircraft. For example, you don't see magnetos on a car, though you will frequently see two on an private aircraft engine so it can keep firing if the electrical system goes out.

It's perfectly OK with me if you can only arrest people once they've done something wrong.

This is just not true. You can absolutely be cited or arrested for various infractions on the road without actually hurting anyone. The two that come to mind are following too closely (typically not cited until an accident occurs but that's not statutory) and aggressive driving.

I would rather live in a society that severely punishes bad behavior after it happens as a deterrent to others who would be tempted to do the same than live in a society that imposes ever more restrictions in an effort to prevent misbehaviors from happening in the first place.

Obviously neither is good if taken to its most extreme, but I feel we should skew heavily towards the former.