‘How I keep from speeding’ — and how other drivers don’t

Q: Since I started sheltering in place on March 15, I’ve needed to travel to my office in Fremont three times to handle essential work. I quickly found, as others have, that it’s sneakily easy for my speed to creep up higher than intended.
My solution? Keep my Prius in the slow lane on Highway 237 and Interstate 880 with cruise control set just a bit under the speed limit. With very little traffic on the road these days, even that slow speed gets me to the office in just a few minutes without stress or strain.
Allan Hurst, Sunnyvale

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A: Since the coronavirus swept the globe, I’ve gotten of dozens of complaints about speeders going faster than 100 mph in the Bay Area and beyond. The highest was 131 on a Bay Area freeway.
But here is one that may be the most outrageous: Last month a driver on Interstate 75 in Michigan was clocked and ticketed for driving 180 miles per hour. Let that sink in …180 mph on a freeway in a 2016 Dodge Challenger.
Not even a Prius can go that fast.
Q: I went to Santa Cruz last weekend for provisions. I was struck by how many people were on the streets, and at food stores, how close they were standing in line, half without face coverings. Didn’t drop by the beach myself. Headed home on Highway 17. Amazing number of cars were headed to the coast.
E.S.
A: Folks, the stay-at-home order could be lifted in another month if we behave, stay home, and the infection rate declines. So stay off the highway, wear masks and avoid the beach even in this warm weather. We’re saving lives. We can do this.
Q: I agree that people coming to Santa Cruz over Highway 17 to hang out and without social distancing need to be cited, even for $1,000 each. They could be infected and not even know it. That’s why the current rules exist on masks and social distancing.
Larry J.
A: So true.
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Q: Last Tuesday at about 9 a.m., we were on De Anza Boulevard in Cupertino when the car in front of us slowed to a stop in the middle of the block. What was this idiot doing?
I then saw a mother duck with possibly seven or eight ducklings crossing the center divide. There was no oncoming traffic in the next block and a half, so I presume the duck family made it to the other side without incident.
John Unger, Cupertino
A: Great. This is the time of year when Mama Duck and her ducklings need us to slow down.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.