Following a spout of negative media coverage within the recent months the Lords committee are now demanding all drones and pilots should be listed in a national database
It seems the mainstream media channels and certain influences are only reporting news regarding drones with a negative impact, in other words, they are in the news for the wrong reasons, in return implementing further legislation proposals.
The report from the house of lords states that a database should be enforced for civilian drones and their pilots, giving the police more power to enforce flight rules, giving them the power to identify the pilot of any rogue drone. In the report the Lords stated their support for the European Commissions earlier proposals to put in place a legislation governing drones use in the EU.
“We need to find ways to manage and keep track of drone traffic… drone flights must be traceable, effectively through an online database, which the general public could access via an app. We need to use technology creatively, not just to manage the skies, but to help police them as well.” Committee chairman Baroness O’Cathain said:
With new legislations looking to be enforced the Lords did urge for flexibility across the nation to support an nascent industry which provide the EU with 150,000 new jobs by 2015.
“The growth in civilian drone use has been astonishing. But public understanding of how to use drones safely may not keep pace with people’s appetite to fly them,” said O’Cathain.
The report authors went on to say “stifling the industry through over-regulation can be avoided if safety rules are proportionate to risk” while noting that misuse of drones by commercial or personal pilots could undermine public acceptance of the technology.
In light of the recent drone boom we may be looking at drones having to be registered when you buy one or build your own UAV,