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Drivers Push the Speed Limit Along Fayetteville's 401 Bypass

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FAYETTEVILLE — Country Club Drive in Fayetteville is a road dotted with houses, but people treat it like a highway. Drivers push the speed limit, making it dangerous for other drivers and area residents. The road is also home to a number of fatal accidents, the most recent occurring Wednesday.

Country Club Drive is one of many six-lane roads in the Fayetteville area, but speed comes into play more on this road than on the others. It is a big problem, and is blamed for a lot of the accidents that take place along the stretch of road.

Since 1992, there has been an accident with injuries about every eight days.

The speed limit on the road, which is also known as the 401 Bypass, is 50 miles per hour. Fayetteville Traffic Sergeant Wesley Waters says drivers often go 20 miles over that.

Waters says it is because the roadway is less congested than other six-lane roads, and there are fewer cars making turns.

"It appears it's a wide open highway with plenty of room to maneuver, so people tend to drive faster in that type of setting," says Waters.

Waters say speed contributed to Wednesday's crash along Country Club Road that killed an 18-year- old woman.

Speed was also to blame in an accident that killed two men last November.

Barbara Leach has lived along Country Club for two years.

"I wouldn't dare try to cross," she says.

Leach avoids the road by cutting through her neighborhood. She does not want to take the risk.

"I have sat right here and waited 15 to 20 minutes just to make a left or right turn," she says.

Police say lowering the speed limit on Country Club Road is not the solution. They say the road is safe at 50 miles per hour.

Speed enforcement is the answer, but the enforcers point out they cannot be running radar on every road 24 hours a day.

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