Owners and Operators of Commercial Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), which are more commonly known as “drones”, now face number of risks they should consider when it comes to protecting their own assets and third party liability.
Whilst initially these drones were viewed as “toys” with minimal commercial applications the position has now greatly changed. The applications for these drones is now extensive and are used in Real Estate, Safety surveillance and the Insurance Industry just to name a few. These devices are tremendous as they are extremely versatile and are able to access areas that sometimes may be difficult.
They were used extensively by insurers following recent fires in Victoria to assess damaged property without having to go directly into exclusion zones. Relaxed regulation and now increased strong commercial opportunity has now meant that the drone revolution is disrupting some major industries across Australia.
It has been recently reported by one leading Australian Insurer that one in fifty drones will be involved in an “accident” so understanding the current Insurance landscape has never been more critical to business’ and individuals who operate these devices.
As there is now new Laws in place it’s certainly prudent consider available insurance products to help to mitigate the possible losses. JVIB will be able to assist with any queries.