Last week, Pam, who lives in Fuquay-Varina, wondered why the speed limit on Sunset Lake Road in nearby Holly Springs was reduced from 45 mph to 35.

"Nothing about the road has changed to justify the reduction that we can see," she said.

Wake up and smell the development, Pam, advise Holly Springers Nick and Sandra.

"I'm sure there are several reasons for it," writes Nick, "but No. 1 is [about] 200 auto accidents in two years on this section of road! ... There is more traffic and congestion on this road as new homes are built and more people use the road."

Adds Sandra: "Since my family moved into the Carrington Estates neighborhood off Sunset Lake Road in January of 2007, we have witnessed six vehicle accidents. All of them have occurred on the strip of road from the Brackenridge neighborhood down the hill to just past Cypress Ford Road. These are just the accidents that we have seen." (Independent research by her neighbor, btw, put the number of accidents on Sunset Lake in the past two years at closer to 100.)

Both hope the reduced speed limit will help. Sandra in particular acknowledges that getting people to slow down will be a challenge.

"I know that I need to adjust also," writes Sandra. "I was rushing to get to carpool on time; I got my speeding ticket through this strip two weeks ago."

Look it up, helmet hair

Susie in Cary would like to buy all local newscasters a dictionary. "The misuse of the word 'infamous' by almost every local television news person is driving me bonkers," she writes. "I've heard Mother Teresa described as infamous on TV, for heaven's sake. Last week, listening to one of our Triangle anchorpersons talking about the Durham Bulls new season, she mentioned the 'infamous' 'Bull Durham' movie. Huh? What's so infamous about that movie? The pedicure scene? 'Boogie Nights' is possibly considered infamous, but 'Bull Durham?'"

Infamous. Look it up.

Economic policy foiled

Soon, in your mailbox or your bank account, you will receive the federal government's answer to our economic malaise: a tax rebate -- sorry, "stimulus payment" -- for $600 or more. Take the money, the government hopes, and do as they do by spending it immediately on something frivolous -- a big-screen TV, a tricked-out cell phone, an SUV.

Well, bad news, federal government. If the recent results of an Angie's List (www.angieslist.com) survey are reflective of the American populace at large, only 2 percent of us say we'll follow the plan to bail out the economy by spending the wad on an unnecessity. The remaining 98 percent of us plan to do something irresponsible with our windfall.

Save it.