Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1999.

Dear Ann Landers: I hope you can answer a question for me. Why do car manufacturers build automobiles that can go over 85 mph? Every day, newspapers print hair-raising stories about auto crashes caused by speeding. The speedometer on my own standard sedan goes up to 120 mph. I am not a race car driver. Under what circumstances could I possibly need to go that fast?

You know a great many experts, Ann. Please ask someone why car manufacturers create cars that can attain speeds that too often cause death and destruction. — M.M.

Dear M.M.: We took your question to Terry Rhadigan, a spokesperson for General Motors. He said the policy of car manufacturers is: Give the customers what they want. Most people apparently want the assurance of knowing their cars can go fast enough for any emergency, regardless of whether they will ever need it. While newer vehicles have better safety features that can handle faster speeds, some smaller models have limits on their speedometers because anything over 90 mph can make the car difficult to manage.

Unless drivers let car manufacturers know that high speeds are unnecessary or undesirable, these powerful 120-mph automobiles will continue to be cranked out every year. The mantra "give the people what they want" holds true in the automotive industry, as it does in all other industries where the profit motive reigns supreme.

Dear Ann Landers: Please help me figure this out. I am seven months' pregnant, and my husband still hasn't told his mother. She lives in another city. We already have one child, so it's not as if she doesn't know we are sleeping together.

My husband obviously doesn't have a close relationship with his mother, but this example of poor communication makes me uncomfortable. I wanted to tell her, but he said he wanted to do it himself. Meanwhile, he keeps putting it off. My mother-in-law phoned the other day, and I didn't know what to say when she asked, "How are you doing?"

Should I tell her I'm pregnant or just wait until the baby is born? I'm pretty sure my husband won't have any trouble telling her then. — Infanticipating in Berkeley, Calif.

Dear Berkeley: Tell her yourself, and the sooner the better. Apparently, your husband has some kind of hang-up about his mother. So, my dear, out with it.

Planning a wedding? What's right? What's wrong? "The Ann Landers Guide for Brides" will relieve your anxiety. To find out more about Ann Landers and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

ANN LANDERS