Dad calls for lowering of speed limits after '˜terrifying' crash

Devoted dad Steven Scaddan is calling for speed limits to be lowered on a main road connecting Dewsbury and Morley, after his wife and daughter were involved in a 'terrifying' collision.
Steve Scaddan has launched a petition for a lower 30mph speed limit and speed cameras on Leeds Road to help make the road safer.Steve Scaddan has launched a petition for a lower 30mph speed limit and speed cameras on Leeds Road to help make the road safer.
Steve Scaddan has launched a petition for a lower 30mph speed limit and speed cameras on Leeds Road to help make the road safer.

The car Tracey Scaddan and the couple’s two-year-old daughter Caitlin were travelling in was hit, by a “recklessly” driven stolen vehicle, as it reversed into their driveway on Leeds Road, in Dewsbury last month.

Their car was sent spinning and 36-year-old Mr Scaddan, who was notified of the accident by a family member, feared his family had been “left for dead”.

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He said: “They are both to this day still recovering and we were informed by the police and fire brigade that if we had a smaller car they would both be dead.”

Mr Scaddan, who has lived on Leeds Road for more than a decade, said the crash had left his daughter unable to sleep through night and his wife is struggling to come to terms with the shock of what has happened.

“I just wish I could swap positions with her,” he said. “I wish I could have been in that car instead of her. It is really distressing thinking about what could have been.”

Mr Scaddan has set up a petition calling for action to make the road safer.

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And it has gained nearly 1,000 signatures in just over a week. He said: “I am campaigning for a safe road, for the lowering of the speed limit to 30mph, for putting permanent speed cameras along the road and if another pedestrian crossing was put in, it would be brilliant.

“Just anything that will bring the speed down and make the road safer for the young families and older generation that live here.

“At the moment the road is a death trap, it’s an accident waiting to happen.”

There has already been several fatalities on the street, also known as the A653.

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And Mr Scaddan said it was only a matter of time “before someone else gets killed”.

“I am extremely lucky to have my family still,” he said. “But this could have been a completely different story.

“I don’t want any one else to go though what my family has and still is going through.”

The petition will be delivered to Kirkless Council’s Director of Place for consideration.

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It has been backed by Dewsbury and Mirfield MP Paula Sherriff.

She said: “I’m very sorry to hear of the terrifying traffic incident involving a family on Leeds Road, Dewsbury.

“The two men left the scene and the stolen vehicle they were driving without any apparent concern for the safety of Mrs Scaddan and her little girl.

“I fully appreciate the serious concerns with traffic safety on Leeds Road and I have contacted Kirklees Council to ask that this is appropriately reviewed and careful consideration is given to the family’s requests.”