How much does it cost?
For members aged 25 or over on March 31st: £20 per year.
For members aged under 25 on March 31st: £15 per year.
A discount will be applied to any over-25 who pays their subscription by standing order, reducing it to £18
The price of membership subscriptions are reviewed and set by the committee according to the running costs and estimated membership turnover for the next year. The cost of a membership subscription has not changed for many years.
What do I ‘get’ for my money?
Membership subscription to RoADAR Northeast entitles you vote in local organisational matters.
You will also be added to our list of official members so that you will be kept up to date with information and newsletters.
Only official members may participate in receiving free tutoring from our Tutors (with the exception of separately organised promotional events or group meetings.
Such events are a perfect opportunity to try-out a practical session with one of our Tutors for either a short demonstration or a tutored session.
We welcome visitors and guests of members to the meetings irrespective of their membership status. Regular Guests and regular visitors are encouraged to become members of RoADAR Northeast.
Tutors volunteer their time free of charge, and only offer regular tutoring to currently subscribed members of RoADAR Northeast.
You are not paying for a service or product, nor are you paying for Tutors to ‘be available’.
We only have as many Tutors as have volunteered to become Tutors and who have made a commitment to actively tutor other members.
Some Tutors can only spare enough time to take one ‘Advanced Driving or Riding Student’ at a time.
Other Tutors can tutor multiple students (having either joint or one-to-one sessions).
It is for these reasons that you may have to join a waiting list for practical tutoring.
The length of the waiting list can vary considerably; some students are assigned a Tutor immediately depending upon locality and how much time Tutors are able to donate.
How do I apply to become a member?
You can use the online form on this website or print-off the form and send it by post.
You should then post the appropriate subscription to the Membership Secretary [ see the Join Us page ], or pay by cash or cheque at any of our regular meetings.
We encourage subscription payments by Standing Order, and offer a small discount to the full subscription for paying by Standing Order.
Please ask, phone or email the Membership Secretary to obtain a Standing Order form.
As soon as we have both your application and your subscription, you will be allocated a tutor, or added to the waiting list.
What types of payment do you accept?
We accept the following methods of payment for subscriptions. At present, we do not offer a Direct Debit service
Cash
Pay in cash only by hand, to any of our committee members. You will receive a receipt by the person who has collected your money.
Please don’t send cash through the post as there is no guarantee it will arrive safely, and there is no receipt mechanism.
Cheque
Either by post or by hand to any of our committee members.
Postal Order
Either by post or by hand to any of our committee members.
Bank Transfer
Single payments initiated manually by the member can be made on joining or for renewals.
Regular payments scheduled for March each year can be made via Standing Order for subscription renewals.
A Standing Order Mandate will be provided by the Membership Secretary on request.
What are the benefits of becoming an advanced driver or rider with RoADAR Northeast?
There are several benefits
Reduced risk of having a minor bump and / or becoming involved in a major accident
Enjoy driving / riding “even more than before”
Positively influence other road users by demonstrating their good driving
Develop more confidence on the road and in everyday life too
Lower running costs: fuel, clutch, brakes & tyres etc last longer
Make safer & quicker progress through traffic
One subscription gives you access to any of the Driving and / or Riding classes of vehicle that we support
Do I have to renew my membership?
If your answer to any of the following is Yes, then the answer is YES
You wish to receive, or are receiving, tutoring from a RoADAR Northeast Tutor
You wish to volunteer to become a RoADAR Northeast Tutor
You wish to continue to give tutoring to RoADAR Northeast Students
You wish to receive information from RoADAR Northeast
You wish to volunteer as a committee member
You wish to volunteer as an assistant
Do I have to attend the meetings?
Not if you don’t want to!
Attending the meetings is completely optional. You'll be welcomed whenever you do attend; attend one, some, or all as and whenever you please.
The meetings are friendly, social, informal & informative and offer the opportunity to mingle with like minded people.
You can see what each of the meetings has been about and you can check when future meetings will be held and what they will be all about in our Diary.
Do I have to do the practical training?
Not if you don’t want to!
Practical tutoring is central to becoming and advanced driver or rider, and it is the main development tool for anyone working towards the advanced test or for anyone wanting to improve their Driving or Riding.
You won’t miss out on practical training if you prefer not to start immediately.
It is unlikely that anyone will pass the advanced test if they have not had some practical tutoring.
We offer practical tutoring to all our members and of course we actively encourage it since it is fundamental to measuring progress / improvement.
We don’t rush or pressure anyone. Everything is done at your own pace.
Do I have to volunteer to help running the group?
Not if you don’t want to!
But, we encourage and welcome Volunteers as they keep RoADAR Northeast up and running.
Do I have to take the Advanced Test?
Not if you don’t want to!
We encourage members to take the RoSPA Advanced test as it is beneficial in many ways:
It gives you proof of your abilities
It gives you a graded award (Bronze, Silver or Gold) so that you can either improve on your grade next time around or be sure that you are maintaining your high standards
Unlike other advanced Driving & Riding tests, the RoSPA test is only valid for 3 years, so you are motivated to keep your driving or riding standards high, ready for your next re-test.
Passing at Silver level or higher enables you to become a Driving or Riding Tutor for RoADAR Northeast
Some insurance companies offer discounted premiums for those with RoSPA Advanced Test Pass
Apart from my annual subscription are there any other ‘costs’ associated with joining RoADAR?
It depends on how involved you want to be and what materials you may already have ...
Prices for any ‘hidden-costs’ can vary depending on the supplier, but some typical prices are shown in brackets (in the following sections) to give you an idea.
Riding Tutors’ Fuel
Rider members receiving tuition make a contribution to their Tutor's costs, since tutors use their own machines for the practical session (currently £10 per session)
Essential Reading
If you don’t already have the latest revisions of the relevant texts below, we recommend that you buy them, as they are essential reading for any Advanced Practitioner:
The Highway Code (£3)
Know Your Traffic Signs (£4)
ROADCRAFT: The Essential Police Drivers Handbook (£15)
Motorcycle ROADCRAFT: The Police Riders Handbook to Better Motorcycling (£13)
What are the costs involved in being a tutor
If you wish to become a RoADAR Northeast Tutor then you will first have to pass the advanced test with a Silver or Gold grade.
In passing the test you will automatically become a member of the National RoADAR group.
To continue tutoring you will have to maintain your national subscription and pass a triennial test at Silver or Gold grade
The extra costs would then be:
The RoSPA Advanced Test Driving Test Includes 1 year National membership fee when you pass. (£48)
The RoSPA Advanced Driving Test . Includes 1 year National membership fee when you pass. (£58)
The RoSPA Advanced Riding Test . Includes 1 year National membership fee when you pass. ( £54)
RoADAR National membership annual renewal (£20) members who maintain their National membership receive a free re-test every 3 years.
Early retests (at your own discretion) (£20)
I would really like to ‘give something back to the group’. What volunteering opportunities are there for me to help RoADAR Northeast?
We are always eager to include more volunteers, especially those wanting to develop their skills to become RoADAR Northeast Driving and Riding Tutors.
The simplest and possibly the most effective way that to can help the group is by:
Spreading the word about RoSPA Advanced Driving and Riding to:
Your Family
Your Friends
Your Work Colleagues
No doubt you will receive a few questions from the people you tell. If you can’t answer them all, the best thing to do is to direct them to their local group or RoADAR National for more information.
Volunteering opportunities in RoADAR Northeast:
RoADAR Northeast Driving and / or Riding Tutor
These opportunities are always available. To become a Driving or Riding tutor you must:
Be willing to make a commitment to donate some of your personal time to developing students to ‘test standard’
Be a current subscribed member of RoADAR Northeast
Be a current subscribed member of RoADAR National
Have passed the RoSPA Advanced Test to Grade Silver (or higher) in the classes of vehicle that to wish to tutor
Have completed a Tutor training course provided by RoADAR Northeast
RoADAR Northeast Committee
Be willing to make a commitment to donate some of your personal time to running RoADAR Northeast
Be a current subscribed member of RoADAR Northeast
Have skills that contribute to the committee role of interest
Be a current subscribed member of RoADAR National for the role of Chairman, Training Officer, or Secretary
RoADAR Northeast Assistants
Be willing to make a commitment to donate some of your personal time to supporting RoADAR Northeast meetings & events
Be a current subscribed member of RoADAR Northeast
What is a ‘membership-year’ & when should I renew my membership?
A membership-year runs from April 1st of the current year through to March 31st the following year.
New Members Joining:
When you join as a member, you will pay your subscription at the same time as your application. You will join either towards the start of the membership year or towards the end of the membership year
Membership Renewal:
Membership renewal subscriptions are due before the end of the month of March
If you wish to renew your membership, all you need to do is to pay your renewal subscription on time. In this case we will presume that your personal data we have is still correct.
New members who joined RoADAR Northeast towards the end of the membership year will not be expected to pay for their first renewal (for the first March that passes). This waiver will be applied for any new members who join between October 1st of this year and March 31st of next year.
What happens if I forget to renew my membership?
Membership renewal subs are due during the month of March.
We send reminders in March to those members who have provided us with an e-mail contact address.
If we don't then receive your membership renewal on time, we will lapse your membership.
In this case we will keep your contact details for up to three years, in case you wish to re-join the group in time for your triennial retest, and perhaps some refresher sessions.
We will be pleased to welcome you back to the group if you wish to re-join at antime after your membership has lapsed.