The Program Administrator Workgroup met again on Thursday, 23 July 2020. Representatives from Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Vermont attended to discuss current topics faced in Rider Education.
Foremost on everyone’s mind was the constraints and changes in dealing with the COVID Crisis. In most cases, reopening state-sponsored programs have been challenging as accommodating multiple private, public, and governmental stakeholder requirements make the process different everywhere.
Some state representatives are concerned about the limited accessibility to licensure systems and the effects of increased motorcycle sales. These items, coupled with the inability to meet the growing needs in our sectors, is a forecasted future problem. The consensus is there is a potential of more riders without basic levels of knowledge usually attained through available training and an increased level of riders operating without motorcycle endorsements. The multiple factors may already have affected rider populations as an increased number of crashes is being reported in many states.
Of equal concern is the population of RiderCoaches. They typically are older and more compromised with health issues, which is a consideration for many during the COVID Crisis. Some RiderCoaches are opting out of training, for the time being, generating fear, whether all will return in the future. Some states who have consistent difficulties replenishing RiderCoaches must consider new ways of recruiting and assessing candidate characteristics to maintain their coaching corps.
All attendees voiced agreed to continue the workgroup in the near future, potentially on a monthly basis.
