“Of course he wasn't really talking about spanking as a way to keep the kid from danger, he was talking about it as something to do afterward to punish the child for running into the street, and that is a pretty critical point to consider.”

Almost right. I was actually talking about doing it to impress upon the child not to do it again, because if they try it again, I might not be close enough the next time.

I would much rather ensure that my child doesn't try to run onto the road than that I take the moral high ground, and end up picking up the pieces.

My children do not run onto the road.