I have 4-wheel-drive, and the CHP officer said I had to carry chains: Roadshow

Q: Ed Mocarsk claims you don’t need chains if you have an 4WD vehicle. That is not the case.

I was stopped once heading to Kirkwood from Tahoe by the CHP, making sure my vehicle had four-wheel drive, and that I had chains. I did not have any, thinking that I did not need them. I was informed that it was necessary to carry chains, even for 4WD vehicles.

The officer explained that in R3 (blizzard) conditions, the only vehicles allowed are 4WD with chains. I’ve never experienced R3, as I thought they closed the road before that. That was about 15 years ago, so maybe they have changed the rules?

Mike Greenwood, San Jose

A: The rules have not changed. All vehicles are required to carry chains, and to put them on when conditions require it.

Another mistake, as we could see in reports from the Sierra blizzard this week, is that some drivers ignore official road warnings, and believe their GPS, which may not factor in extreme weather conditions on side roads.

Q: You can’t listen to AM radio in a Tesla, but you can play video games? Yeah, sure, that makes sense.

Terri Lehan, San Jose

A: Tesla has seen the error in allowing video games to be played while the car is moving. That function will be disabled until the car is parked. Hopefully, common sense will prevail with features they release in the future.

Q: Crazy that Teslas don’t have AM radio. The good news is that KCBS (106.9 FM) and KNBR (104.5 FM) simulcast on FM stations so you can get the all-news station and listen to Giants games.

 Susan Krauss, Alameda

A: Play ball! Less than two months before pitchers and catchers report, if the lockout ends in time.

Q: Can you ask Caltrans why the overhead freeway signs that were installed just a few years ago are already losing reflectivity? I drive on Interstate 680 through Concord to Highway 4 every day, and in the early hours, this is an issue.

Is this a problem with all their newer signs, or just at the location I cited?

Andrew Pierce, Pleasant Hill

A: I have not heard about this problem from anyone else, at least so far. These signs should be good for six to 10 years before needing to be upgraded.

Q: Rather than discarding string lights, please let your readers know that they can be disposed of as e-waste.