Liability insurance

[stealth.pilot]

When you fly a drone, do you need liability insurance?

For instance if it were to fail mid flight and drop from the sky, potentially injuring someone or destroying property.

How is liability for something like that determined and is insurance necessary? Who would provide such insurance?

 

[sparkorc]

I personaly would not fly without liability insurance at the moment its not compulsory, but I guess it wont long before it will become law that pilots have to have to take out liability insurance, I can then forsee a possible loophole in the advent of a incident happening insurance companys may have a get out clause if you happen to be flying somewhere without permission to fly.

 

[stealth.pilot]

I personaly would not fly without liability insurance at the moment its not compulsory, but I guess it wont long before it will become law that pilots have to have to take out liability insurance.

Where did you buy the insurance?

 

[sparkorc]

I'm in the UK and their is a couple of companys that do insurance one off them is quite reasonable.

 

[sparkorc]

The only problem I have the insurance is only valid in Europe, so when visiting the US next year I have the problem to see if I can get insurance for my trip !

 

[stealth.pilot]

I had a look online and there are several companies who offer it in the US. The one I am thinking of going with is Verifly.


Drone Insurance Guide: How to Get Liability Coverage

 

[sparkorc]

In the UK you can get drone insurance for one year for permanent residents of the UK, for recreational drone pilots that covers Europe for approx $26.24 this limits cover of indemnity $6,563,090.10 in any one event, when I checked today online I now see there are quite a few companys offering drone insurance in the UK, but I think the insurance I quoted is still the cheapest insurance quote.

 

[stealth.pilot]

In the UK you can get drone insurance for one year for permanent residents of the UK, for recreational drone pilots that covers Europe for approx $26.24 this limits cover of indemnity $6,563,090.10 in any one event, when I checked today online I now see there are quite a few companys offering drone insurance in the UK, but I think the insurance I quoted is still the cheapest insurance quote.

That is fantastic. I went on the Verifly app and they were charging more than that for just a 1 hour flight in a 2 mile radius.

Will have to look elsewhere.

 

[stealth.pilot]

It looks like the Academy of Model Aeronautics includes insurance with their full membership. This may be the most cost effective option for hobbyists.

What is the AMA? | Academy of Model Aeronautics

 

[abtocmeptb]

I personaly would not fly without liability insurance at the moment its not compulsory, but I guess it wont long before it will become law that pilots have to have to take out liability insurance, I can then forsee a possible loophole in the advent of a incident happening insurance companys may have a get out clause if you happen to be flying somewhere without permission to fly.

I live in NYC and I always say that about bicycles on a streets here. They are zooming against the traffic, running red lights, not yielding to pedestrians even at the crossings....Problem is how will you enforce it.

And how to enforce drone's insurance. I bet you sizable amount of drones are still flying unregistered wich is only $5. No one enforcing it.

 

[stealth.pilot]

I live in NYC and I always say that about bicycles on a streets here. They are zooming against the traffic, running red lights, not yielding to pedestrians even at the crossings....Problem is how will you enforce it.
And how will you enforce drones with insurance.

Well it’s pretty obvious. Imagine a rotor fails, and a drone falls from the sky. It severely injured someone.

The police try to figure out who owns that drone. They check for fingerprints. The owner gave his prints to the government when applying for Global Entry to get TSA Precheck.

They identify the owner. The victim sues for personal injury. The owner is now liable for $2million in injury award.

I wouldn’t want to lose everything I ever worked for because of a drone accident.

So insurance is a no brainer. Yes if you can’t afford insurance and have nothing to lose then they can’t enforce it. But anyone with assets should have it.

 

[sparkorc]

I live in NYC and I always say that about bicycles on a streets here. They are zooming against the traffic, running red lights, not yielding to pedestrians even at the crossings....Problem is how will you enforce it.

And how to enforce drone's insurance. I bet you sizable amount of drones are still flying unregistered wich is only $5. No one enforcing it.

At the moment we do not have to register in the UK at the moment I think our rules are simular to yours, maximum flying height 120mtrs (400ft), within 1 kilometre of airport boundaries, dont fly beyond line of sight (LOS), Dont over fly people, keep 50mtrs away from people, keep 150 mtrs away from buildings and structures, if flying FPV with goggles you must have a second person with you acting as a spotter.

Drone code - Dronesafe

But new laws in the UK are coming will also require owners of drones weighing 250 grams or more to register with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and for drone pilots to take an online safety test to ensure the UK’s skies are safe from irresponsible flyers. These requirements will come into force on 30 November 2019.