This close call reminds me of my own thinking whenever I come to an intersections with limited visibility. I feel uneasy that my life hangs on the front brake working properly, over and over again. There should be a back up system, redundancy that would make likelihood of total failure less likely.
Cars used to to have single circuit braking system now they have double with ABS and warning lights if fluid level is low. These days technology is available, but it still take organization, community, company, somebody with conviction and big pockets to redesign bicycle breaking system, add redundancy, safety, and make brakes less likely to totally fail, Cars have new safety features continuously added, double braking system, ABS, crumpling zone, safety belts, air bags. Bicycle manufacturers, biking community should follow this kind of thinking as well.