A group of five volunteers from Pakenham SES are taking volunteering even further as they launch their own project, Ride Beyond the Trauma, to raise awareness of road trauma and promote road safety.

The idea came from volunteer Peter Morrison-Dowd, a seasoned and accredited road rescuer with VicSES. On Mother's Day earlier this year, he was called to an accident scene where a 19 year old driver had passed away, just 500 metres from her home.

'Even though I have completed over 400 rescues and seen many a sad sight, it was this event that made me want to do more than "just cut people out of cars". It was the fact that for the victim's family, Mother's Day celebrations would never be the same again,' says Peter. 'I want to do something that makes people think.'

He quickly found that others felt the same way, and his idea of staging a 4,000km charity motorbike trek started to take off. Destination: Toowoomba, Queensland; a town who, like Pakenham, was hit by floods earlier in the year and called on its SES volunteers. To get there, the group will cruise the Pacific and Newell highways, Australia's most notorious killer roads.

For Shayne Honey, who has volunteered with the SES for the past eight years, it will be his first long-range motorbike ride.

'We're determined to not only promote road safety', he explains, 'but also to raise awareness for road trauma survivors who suffer serious injuries and for the families of those who pass away.'

They will be joined by three fellow volunteers: school administrator Dianne Mason, whose own son was rescued from a crash by the SES; secondary school teacher David Ellison, who is also a volunteer Surf Lifesaver; and counsellor Isa King who provides peer support to members of the SES.

The group will speak to secondary school students during the day, promoting the message: Think For Six. It is reported that more than 49 per cent of teens report texting as a distraction while driving, and 82 per cent report using mobile phones while driving.

'Our key message is that every six seconds, someone in the world dies on the road. Before you text and drive, drink and drive or take a car to a party, think for six seconds,' says Shayne.

Public meetings will be held in the evenings, offering support to people affected by road trauma and encouraging them to share their stories and tributes. And along the way, they will be stopping at fuel and rest stops to spread the Think for Six message and raise funds for road trauma support. Peter hopes to reach some of the thousands of visitors who will be on the road for the Australian MotoGP race.

So far a wide and growing number of supporters have come forward, including Members of Parliament, local Police, Rotary and Lions groups and SES units, across both States. Local community members have willingly signed up for a variety of roles and more than 30 motorcycle clubs across Australia are organising their own rides to coincide with the 'Ride off' on Sunday 9 October.

For updates or to find out how to show your support join the Ride Beyond the Trauma Facebook page.