Drones arrival in market calls for the necessity of stricter regulations

By Valor Gosch
Staff Writer

Drones are a symbol of the modern age, from its first widespread application in the military in Afghanistan and Iraq, today day these remote-controlled pilotless aircrafts are available for the general public. Drones, in past years, have been slowly becoming more readily available for consumers, and with this comes new laws aimed at protecting privacy and air traffic safety.

The Federal Aviation administration has recently implemented laws on the 21st of December, 2015, that that will require any owner of a drone that exceeds the weight of 250 grams to register their drone by February 19th, 2016. The new rules cover who has the right to fly drones and where they can lawfully operate them.

According to the New York Times, more than 180,000 drones have been registered with the FAA, and that number is predicted to skyrocket as more and more consumers seek to own drones for professional or recreational use. However, the widespread use of drones begs the issues of privacy and safety of the skies for other air crafts

The restrictions on drones seems warranted due to the increasingly large amounts of drones in the sky, as reported by The Guardian, which uncovered close to ninety “incidents” of drones nearly colliding with planes, nearly threatening the lives of passengers and civilians on the ground.

Though some may not feel that their drones pose a threat to other aircraft or the privacy of citizens, the registration process should not present a problem for these owners, as it is geared to those who plan crimes or other malicious activities.

Drones, with their ever-increasing numbers and capabilities, are going to have to be an industry that is regulated or else it will inevitably face some form of disaster. The worries that arise involve collisions, lawsuits geared toward privacy concerns, and even the possibility of terrorism, with drones becoming more capable of carrying heavier and heavier loads with each technological advancement made over the years.

Drones are an exciting new technology that is going to change the world, but it has to be a regulated one if society is to coexist among drones safely.