Chandima Udayakantha considers himself lucky to be alive after a vehicle crashed into the front of his Cameron Park home on Saturday.
Mr Udayakantha had been working in his front yard only 10 minutes before a ute veered off Portland Drive and smashed into his car and garage about 6.30pm.
The 51-year-old had luckily concluded his yard work, but said had his own car not been parked in the driveway, the ute would have likely ended up in the lounge room where his family usually congregates.
"It was a big shock and vibration [through the house]," said Mr Udayakantha, whose partner and two children were also home at the time.
"I went out and the car was steaming, I thought the house was going to catch fire.
"We were lucky, it could have been much worse."
The 32-year-old male driver was taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory testing and treatment for injuries. Police are awaiting the results of a blood analysis.
Mr Udayakantha's car will be written off and the house needs structural repairs.
The family only moved into the home about a year ago and had recently started to fear a crash occurring on the suburban road as over the past six months they say there has been an increasing amount of unsafe driving.
Their concerns are shared by other Portland Drive residents, who say the speed some drivers are travelling at and the reckless behaviour of others, particularly at night, is putting lives at risk.
Residents want changes to be made to improve the safety of the pedestrian-heavy road with some also calling for increased police patrols.
Erin Anderson, 37, had a drunk driver crash through the yard of her family's Portland Drive home in December.
The incident occurred in similar circumstances on a Saturday afternoon with the driver allegedly doing burnouts before careering through her fence.
She has become so concerned she no longer lets her children play out the front of the house.
"Most people use it as a bit of a speedway, even the buses don't do 50 km/h," she said. "I just don't think people realise it is a fifty-zone.
"We moved here with a young family and I don't let my kids out the front because it's just too dangerous.
"We've parked our caravan in front of the house as a bit of a barrier. On weekends and nights people just fly up here, people say it's like Mount Panorama."
Ms Anderson said she had asked Lake Macquarie council to install speed humps or chicanes.
Mr Udayakantha, whose house is at the top of a hill where the road curves, wants high-visibility directional signs installed. He will also petition the council for more speed-limit signs.
A council spokesperson said any correspondence from residents would be considered by its traffic committee.
"Council staff are aware of the recent accident at Portland Drive, Cameron Park. Portland Drive is considered a 'collector road', and as a result speed calming devices are not often installed," the spokesperson said.
"Following further investigations, any traffic works identified will be considered by the Traffic Inspection Committee comprising representatives from Transport for NSW, NSW Police and Council.
"The speed limit of Portland Drive is 50km/h."
