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About the Club
The Lahore Four Wheel Drive Club was formed in December 1999 as a non-profit organization by a group of four wheel drive vehicle enthusiasts with a desire to share their interest with others in the area. The Club's activities include regular off-road trips to locations around Lahore on weekends & holidays and with longer out-of-town trips to all parts of Pakistan. Most trips involve camping overnight in remote locations and a love for the outdoors is a prerequisite for the Club.
The aim of this club is to create a group of outdoor enthusiasts, who enjoy going recreational 4WDing and camping, as a means of an escape from today's busy lifestyles. To go 4WDing and camping with a minimum of fuss, making it really just a way of formalizing a group of friends going out on a social camping trip. It is a means for us all to share ideas / parts / tips etc with a bunch of like-minded individuals. In order to achieve this goal, certain guidelines do have to be followed and these are spelt out below.
Membership Procedure
All 4WD enthusiasts are encouraged to apply for and become a member of the club. Due to obvious reasons, a screening process has become necessary. Membership forms are available on our website, and this form is to be filled out interactively on the website. A recent photograph of yourself and your vehicle is required to complete the application. The application is reviewed by a 3 Member Coordination Committee and a decision to invite or not invite the new applicant for a meeting is conveyed through email within 5 working days. Criteria for membership may be found in Appendix A.
Due to the hectic pace of life, the Club encourages applicants with new(er) vehicles (preferably post 1980 models) and discourages applicants with older model vehicles due to the high probability of breakdowns during trips/expeditions.
If the applicant is invited to a meeting, members of the coordination committee will collect and have a personal chat with the applicant. A decision is then reached by majority vote to accept or not accept the applicant into the club.
A Joining fee of Rs. 2,000.00 and a yearly membership fee of Rs. 1,000.00 will then have to be deposited with the club treasurer. Annual membership fees are due on Jan 1 of every year for the calendar year. These fees are subject to change without prior notice. Adhesive Vehicle stickers will only be issued to confirmed members.
Termination of Membership
The club retains the right to terminate the membership of any member whose conduct is unbecoming or brings ill-repute to the club in any way. The decision to terminate membership is to be taken by majority vote by the Coordination Committee
Member Communication
Once confirmed as a member, a username and password will be issued to allow the new member to log into the club website’s Members Area. In the members area, members may participate in forums and discussions regarding upcoming trips and generally about the club. Here they will also be able to upload trip and vehicle pictures.
To be a participant in off-road expeditions/tours/trips, each member must have installed in his/her vehicle a communication device so that all members remain in radio contact when on such trips.
Monthly Meetings
Monthly meetings will be held at pre-assigned (via website forum) venues, usually at restaurants or a member’s home or office and usually late in the afternoon. Attendance at monthly meetings is mandatory unless extenuating circumstances prevent you from attending.
General Etiquette
While many of our members have been friends for many years, and a general feeling of camaraderie and like-mindedness prevails, it is recommended that conversations at meetings be held in a polite tone and to generally create a good impression about the club at all times.
As a member of the L4WDC, it becomes mandatory for you to:
- Obey all Traffic Laws – on-road or off-road
- Refrain from using drugs or alcohol while driving
- Refrain from aggressive driving
- Not litter in public or private places
- Assist members of law enforcement & the general public whenever possible or required
Trips/Tours
During off-road expeditions/camping trips/tours, the following rules must be adhered to:
- Adherence to Scheduled Timing/Departure from meeting point/campsites
- Proper gear including apparel, auto repair essentials, camping gear must be packed individually by each member. Checklists of essentials are attached in Appendix B & C.
- Responsibilities as assigned in pre-trip meeting must be prepared for by each member who has been assigned a task.
- Driving etiquettes must be strictly followed when on tour/trip.
- All members must remain together (single file) when driving on highways/public roads and are advised not to stray too far without prior advise so that the stress of “losing” a member can be avoided.
- Speed limits and road safety rules on highways MUST be obeyed.
- Visual & Radio contact with other members must be maintained at all times when driving.
- Campsites must be left as clean or cleaner than the condition in which we arrived. All garbage must be carefully packed in garbage bags and disposed of correctly even if it entails carrying back in a vehicle to a garbage dump in a nearby town/city.
- All activities en-route/during & after a tour must be conducted in a manner that is NOT damaging to the environment and the natural surroundings.
- Respect the cultural, heritage and environmental values of public/private land by obeying restrictions that may apply.
- Keep your vehicle mechanically sound and clean to reduce the environmental impact.
- Seek permission before driving on private land. Do not disturb livestock or watering points.
- Respect our flora and fauna. Stop and look, but never disturb.
- During tours, a member of the party will be assigned the task of managing the finances from the common trip money pool. This common trip money pool (aka Kitty) will be decided by the team leader of the trip and collected (equally) from all participants at the first stop of the trip. These funds will be used to pay for meals, hotel charges and other common incidentals. At the end of the trip, any monies remaining will be reimbursed equally amongst the participants of the trip.
Friends of the Club
Realizing that there are several outdoor enthusiasts out there who are known to all of us but do not possess an operational 4x4 vehicle, the concept of “Friends of the Club” has been created to allow for more interaction between members and non-member 4WD/outdoor enthusiasts. A few rules must be made clear before an individual is included in the Friends of the Club Circle:
- The Friend must be (well) known to a Member of the Club who MUST have his friend pre-approved by the Coordination Committee.
- The Member who introduces the Friend must accept complete responsibility for the Friend’s actions while on a trip/tour.
- The Friend must participate equally in all activities when on tour including contribution to the common trip money pool (aka Kitty).
Do not follow where the path leads, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Anonymous
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