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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.

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.

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