Drone Insurance Coverage a Good Idea?

Attention all new drone owners: Insurance experts suggest you check your renters or home insurance policies before launch.

Drones were the hot gift this holiday season. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates more than one million drones sold.

However, the California Department of Insurance warns your gift is no toy. Owners could be liable for property damage or injuries caused by a drone.

“The first couple of flights, I did break blades,” said drone owner Adam Thompson. “I actually got it stuck in a tree.”

A drone nearly took out a professional Australian skier during the World Cup last week and in January another drone crashed on the White House lawn.

“You fly and you dent your neighbor’s car,” said Jim Bonnardel with the Academy of Model Aeronautics. “It breaks through a window or tangles up in someone’s television antenna or something like that. A lot of people don’t recognize the potential for danger.”

That’s why Academy of Model Aeronautics offers a yearly $2.5 million liability coverage plan.

Something Thompson says he will look into the next time he flies.

“I didn’t think I would crash it,” Thompson said. “I thought this is pretty simple. I’m pretty proficient with remote controls but it’s completely different flying a drone.”
 

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