Ideas for Preventing Future Terrorist Attacks of a Vehicular Nature

Engineering the City:

It's time to re-engineer our cities, enclosing major public walkways in barriers as would prevent vehicles from entering into the space without special/restricted access (e.g., spaced steel posts that can be brought up and down only by authorized persons such as police or private security) at select entry-points only.  Where barriers enclosing public walkways might consist of spaced steel posts, concrete barriers, steel fences, large planters, etc.

Radar sensors should be embedded at street level, in high-traffic pedestrian areas, to detect vehicles moving at high rates of speed in unauthorized pedestrian areas.  Once a vehicle in violation is detected authorities would be notified immediately and an in-road barrier would be activated at the next possible interval for interception.  This would require retractable --to street level-- steel posts embedded into the walkway/roadway at fixed intervals along pedestrian stretches at highest risk.



Technology Boost:

Drones would be an excellent source of added security in high-risk pedestrian areas.  They can be eyes and ears on the ground at all times, as well as being put into service toward the end of stopping a vehicular terrorist event, in the following way:  equip all rental vehicles --starting with an emphasis on vans and trucks-- with electronic switches that would kill the engines and engage braking systems when targeted for shutdown by police/authorities, using drones to send the shutdown code to a vehicle in violation.  These rental vehicles should also be equipped with tamper resistant systems, such that the rental company would be immediately notified if someone tried to tamper with the "disable" tech on the rental vehicle.  Then the rental company could notify local authorities of potential threats in real-time.

Rental vehicles could also be tagged, such that they would set off a proximity sensor, which would immediately notify authorities of potential problems in high traffic pedestrian areas.



Incentivize Turning Bad Guys In:

Money seems to King, the driving force behind nearly everything these days, so why not make turning potential terrorist in worth people's while.  Divert some of the counter-terrorism money toward a reward pool for people brave enough to do the right thing.

On the flip-side, make it known that those who harbor terrorists (i.e., immediate family members) will be deported and returned to their countries of origin immediately.  One strike and you're out: period.