Reckless drone use is growing, and authorities’ ears are finally pricking up.
The US Department of Transportation will soon require drone users to register their unmanned air vehicles.
It’s expected that both the DoT and the Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta will make the announcement on Monday.
According to one source cited in the report, the plan “could go into effect possibly by Christmas”.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Authority received more than 700 reports of drone sightings by pilots between November 2014 and August 2015.
Last September, a drone crashed inside a stadium during a match at the US Open, and in January this year, a small drone was discovered on the White House grounds.
Related: 11 jawdropping videos that will make you want a drone
Just last month we saw the first UK conviction of a person flying a drone illegally.
Nigel Wilson pleaded guilty to seven separate offences under sections 166 and 167 of the Air Navigation Order 2009.
The 42-year-old admitted to having flown an unmanned drone over various football stadia across England, as well as over buildings in central London.
However, there are currently no plans to require drone registration in the UK. Not yet, anyway.
Do you think drone owners should have to register their kit? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our smartphone buyer’s video guide below:
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
