What about a device to limit how fast cars can go? Roadshow

Q: Why should auto manufacturers be allowed to make vehicles capable of traveling 85 to 90 mph or higher? One way to handle it would be to put a device on engines to limit how fast they could go. That would get would-be speeders’ attention.

David Ogilvie, South San Francisco

A: I’m certain it would. There is talk about putting a device, a governor, on cars and SUVs to limit how fast they could go on city streets and other roads. The idea gained momentum following the August crash that killed actor Anne Heche; she was going more than 80 mph on residential streets in Los Angeles before her car hit a house and burst into flames.

The idea is also being considered for commercial vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is going to try again to mandate speed limiters for heavy trucks and other commercial vehicles.

FMCSA intends to propose a rule, a follow-up to a 2016 proposed rule jointly issued by FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2016 proposal never made it to a final regulation, and never came up with a proposed maximum speed, although possible limits of 60, 65, and 68 mph were discussed.

Q: I was shopping at Concord Costco the other day and noticed a large dog sitting in a brand-new Tesla with all the windows up. Another person saw it, too.

A concerned citizen looking out for animals, I called the Concord police.

Just as the other person was ready to smash the window, the police advised me that when a new Tesla with its windows up gets to a certain temperature, the air conditioning kicks on automatically. Too bad Tesla has kept this secret, and too bad they don’t put a warning on the window advising the public that an animal is OK sitting in the car with no windows down.

Just then, the owner returned to his car and said the air conditioning would kick in if the inside got too hot.

Another five seconds and he would have been paying for a new window on his Tesla.

Kathleen Farley, Concord

A: Tesla needs to listen to you, and hopefully, they will.

More: Tesla’s “Dog Mode” displays message telling onlookers that the air conditioning is on

Q: Labor Day has come and gone, and the rest stops off Highway 101 near Camp Roberts are still closed. Do they have a new “promise” date when they will open?  It’s a convenient stop for all, and always busy.

Keith Lyall

A: The expected opening date for the Camp Roberts rest areas has been pushed back to next spring due to supply chain delays of main electrical switch gear. The arrival date for components slipped from May of this year to December.