The killing of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers arose from what has become a flashpoint of race and brutality: the police stop of a vehicle. The videos released last week depict yet another shocking episode of a traffic stop turning into a lethal attack on a Black motorist. Police officers were the ones seen delivering the blows, but make no mistake, responsibility for attacks like the one on Mr. Nichols lays with many, including the courts.

For most people in this country, the car is central to their lives. At the same time, extensive regulation of how vehicles are operated and maintained has exposed drivers and passengers to intense law-enforcement scrutiny. It is widely recognized that it is virtually impossible, even for the most diligent, to be in a car without breaching some provision of all-encompassing vehicle and traffic laws. This reality has created a situation in which police officers have unlimited discretion to confront drivers and passengers for alleged traffic offenses.