Online Story Exchange is pleased to announce the launch of the trial version of the Journey Beyond Road Trauma site.

By trial version, they mean that the site is not yet “feature complete”, and there's more coming. However, if you sign up today, you will be able to:

* Set up a profile
* Mark the scene of the collision (a virtual roadside memorial mark) on a Google Map
* Create a tribute
* Connect with others affected by road trauma
* Tell your story with blogs and video
* Watch short documentaries.

Regardless of whether the crash was 15 years ago or 15 days ago, we know road trauma has a long lasting effect. If you want to tell your story, connect with others or remember in private you can now register on the site and find out more.

It is hoped that Journey Beyond Road Trauma will become an online sanctuary where you can create tributes that honor your loved ones, find support and understanding from the online community, tell your story, and ultimately begin to heal. The site caters for those affected by both serious injuries and fatalities.

The other goal is that the site can be used in road safety education by giving young people access to very real and powerful, engaging stories about the impact of road trauma and the consequences of careless driving. The platform will also enable members, should they choose, to work together on campaigns for road safety and positive change.

The aim is to officially launch the online community around Australia at Easter. By this time, Online Story Exchange aims to involve 1600 members in the community, in recognition of the average road toll in Australia each year. You can help achieve this by spreading the word to people you know who have been affected by road trauma.

Lastly, a note about the trial version: Although there has been testing for the past few months, it’s difficult to anticipate every scenario, so please be patient if you come across any small glitches.

To find out more about the site, please visit www.journeybeyondroadtrauma.org

Behind every fatality and serious injury statistic there are thousands of stories. Tell your story to educate others about the impact of careless driving.

Warm regards,

Sandra Cook
Producer/director
Online Story Exchange Pty Ltd