The Mercury News

Speeding on freeway isn’t best way to handle COVID-19 blues

- GARY RICHARDS COLUMNIST

QI am still seeing cars approachin­g 90 miles per hour on many freeways. The results can be deadly. Don’t these drivers understand that?

— Tim Schauff, San Jose

AMaybe they will after reading this. Last week on Interstate 280 near El Monte Road, a Lexus was spotted traveling at over 100 mph. The driver lost control, traveled up a dirt embankment and then down a ravine, striking several trees, and was killed. In addition, the driver was not buckled up.

Then on Tuesday, four teens believed to be drinking in the Santa Cruz area were badly injured when the driver lost control, veered off the road and flipped over.

Two teens in the rear were not wearing their seatbelts, an all too common mistake teenagers make thinking that sitting in the back means they don’t need to buckle up.

Stuff like this is so depressing because it is so avoidable.

I know these are tough times, with the coronaviru­s, stay-at-home orders, layoffs and the outrage over the shootings of people of color. But driving 100 mph, not wearing seatbelts and drinking booze is dumber than not wearing face masks.

Come on, folks. We can do better.

QI support San Francisco’s decision to not go along with a sales tax increase for Caltrain because the sales tax is already too high in the Bay Area and every election comes with another tax or fee increase on the ballot.

All this nickel-and-diming contribute­s to making the Bay Area a horribly expensive place to live, especially for people of modest means. Each increase by itself does not amount to much, but the cumulative effect is to add to the unaffordab­ility of the region.

When the virus scare began, the congestion problem went away when companies began encouragin­g staff to work from home, at least part of the time.

Let’s encourage more working at home when the virus scare is over. This tax would not be necessary if there were not as much demand.

— Bill Hough

AYes, that is true. We need to see how this plays out until the COVID-19 beast is tamed.

QHighway 101 in most of San Mateo County will get a Fastrak lane between Embarcader­o Road and Interstate 380. Will repaving 101 between Millbrae Avenue and Grand Avenue be part of the project?

— Kyle Chak

AYes. The $581 million project will be completed in two years, and that includes repaving.

QCan you explain autopilot? — I thought companies needed permission to test it in cities.

— Larry Bilse

AThey are being tested statewide, but testers need to apply with the DMV. So stay tuned.

Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat at noon Wednesdays at mercurynew­s.com/ live-chats. Look for Gary at Facebook.com/ mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanew­sgroup. com, at 408-9205335 or at grichards@ bayareanew­sgroup.com or 408-920-5037.

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