Accidents with drones are happening more and more often

January 1, 20153 min reading

One of the most well-known accidents with drones is perhaps the one that happened at Enrique Iglesias’ concert, when the singer almost lost his fingers because of the drone. The downhill skier Marcel Hirscher had a near miss when the drone that had been filming the event all of a sudden fell out of the sky right behind his back. The more often that drones are used, the more accidents they are causing.

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Who is drone insurance offered to?

Drones are not only entertainment, but they are also used in different business and research spheres. Drones are widely used in photo- and videography, for example, for researching different areas or for carrying out air surveillance on land or sea, delivering goods, in the course of rescue or scientific operations, while checking the technical conditions of structures and constructions, in the real estate sector, geodetics, etc.

IIZI is offering drone insurance to companies that are using drones in their activities. At the moment, it is not possible to obtain insurance for drones used during competitions and for hobbies. As a rule, the owners of the drones used in business activities are experienced and trained drone users, and they are aware of limitations imposed by the Civil Aviation Administration and the requirements established by law.

What is insured?

You can insure the drone and its equipment as well as purchase liability insurance against the damage caused by a drone. For example, the drone can break down while in the sky, fall down somewhere, or disappear. In this case, the insurance provider is going to cover the cost of drone repairs or the value of the drone itself.

At worst, the drone can injure someone or crash into a house or a car. For example, during a concert, a drone can injure a singer or someone in the audience, get stuck in electric wires, collide with a helicopter or planes. This is why insurance companies offer a compensation of at least 2.5 million EUR, and no deductible applies in this case.

Why don´t Estonian insurance companies provide drone insurance?

Undoubtedly, drones are a new and exciting technology. Quite often neither the legal framework nor the companies are ready for them yet. In Estonia, changes are happening rapidly, for example, methods for bringing drones down or providing protection against them have been developed.

IIZI is a drone insurance intermediator on the London market, where insurance companies are always more prepared for providing insurance against new and freshly-emerging risks than local insurers. Property and liability insurance for legal entities rule out any kind of damage incurred by various airborne equipment, which is why insurance companies in Estonia are not capable of offering drone insurance at the moment in the desired form and extent. Besides, in Estonia, the market volume of drone insurance is not large enough.

How much is it?

In order to get information about the exact amount of the insurance payment, please fill out the application form, in which you will be asked some questions about the asset you want to insure. It is economically feasible to insure drones or a drone fleet with a value of at least 5,000 EUR, together with relevant equipment. Quite often people buy drones that are worth ca 1,500 EUR. The insurance payment for such a device, together with liability insurance, can be about half of the drone price.