One Christmas Gift You May Need Insurance On…

Hatchimals aren’t the only hottest toy landing under Christmas trees this year. According to the New York Post, a Drone is also in this year’s top 20 Christmas gifts! Actually, the Federal Aviation Administration has stated that they expected millions of drones given as gifts this year.

Although flying drones can seem like child’s play, some drones weigh in over 55lbs, so not only should you be looking into registration details with the Federal Aviation Agency, but where does your insurance protection come into play?

According to ABC News, 64% of civilian incidents with drones were caused by technical problems in the drone, rather than operator error. One prime example was a drone piloted by Brett Woods, who is a registered pilot and co-founder of the drone company Aerial Concept Unmanned Systems, was supposed to climb 400 feet, but instead flew into the 27^th floor of a building. An engineer that researched 150 drone related accidents stated that a drone traveling approximately 99 miles per hour and weighing around 53lbs, has the ability to potentially kill someone.

Liability protection in a homeowner’s policy or renter’s insurance, will sometimes cover property damage or injury from a drone crashing into a neighbor’s house, vehicle, or child. It may also cover privacy issues, for example if your drone mistakenly takes photos or videos of a neighbor. However, this coverage is not universal, and some policies carry an aviation exclusion that encompasses recreational drones. Also, it generally will not cover any intentional privacy invasions, and may or may not provide any medical coverage if a friend or neighbor is injured.

Therefore, it is imperative that you double check with your Insurance Professional before taking that first flight.