What You Need to Know About Commercial Drone Usage

You have probably seen and heard of several companies using drones for their business. You may also think if everyone else is using it, there’s nothing to worry about. This simply is not the case.

What Are Drones? 

Drones are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This means it is a pilotless aircraft controlled by someone on the ground.

What Are Drones Used For? 

Drones are increasing in popularity because it offers several uses for people and businesses including:

· Capturing aerial shots for concerts, sports events, weddings, news footage, presidential speeches, commercials, and movies etc.

· Exploring areas deemed too dangerous for people to be in

· Delivering items or products

· Helping police officers locate criminals and terrorists

· Monitoring places for security purposes

Problem with Drones 

Here is the problem with drones: These unmanned aerial vehicles are NOT covered under a company’s general liability policy. What does this mean?

Let’s say you are flying your drone to capture aerial footage or photos of an event your business is hosting and it suddenly malfunctions. It falls and hits the crowd of people.

Your business will not be covered in this case if property is damaged or there are bodily injuries. Since general liability policies exclude aircrafts, this means if anything happens, you will be responsible for covering these expenses.

Drones also pose additional liability issues. Drones can be distracting to drivers, which may cause accidents. If someone gets into an accident because of your drone, you will be responsible.

Drones are also not covered under cyber policies, which means they are easy targets for hacks and thefts.

What about intellectual property claims? If your drone so happens to capture pictures of information from other offices and businesses, you will have a possible suit on your hands.

Drones are such a big deal that the Federal Aviation Administration released an extensive list of rules for drone usage. Some of these rules include:

· Unmanned drones must weigh less than 55 pounds

· Drones must stay within visual sight of the operator

· Drones cannot go above 400 feet off the ground

· You can only operate one drone at a time

· Your drone must be registered

This does not mean that you cannot use a drone for your business. If your company decides to use a drone, you must keep in mind that you will be responsible if any of these claims and issues happen on your watch.

At Allied Insurance Managers, we want you to be prepared in all situations. We know this information about drones will help you and your business to be aware of the issues that may arise with drone usage.