...I refer, of course, to the type of machine suggested for short range urban delivery of non-lethal payloads.
- Jim On 3 December 2013 13:03, Jim Birch <[email protected]> wrote: > Is a drone more dangerous than a car? > > - Jim > > > On 3 December 2013 12:29, Roger Clarke <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> At 11:07 +1100 3/12/13, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> >>> Has anybody seen a discussion on liability and/or insurance for these >> >>> autonomous things? >> >> >On 3/12/2013 11:31 AM, Roger Clarke wrote: >> >> That's in the third paper in the series, for the first of which I >> >> sent an RFC this morning, in case anyone didn't notice (:-)} >> >> At 11:53 +1100 3/12/13, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote: >> >Roger, apart from you? >> >> A quick look in my current draft finds these tidbits: >> >EC Regulation 785/2004 (EC 2004) stipulates requirements relating to >> >accident insurance for aircraft weighing more than 20kg. This >> >appears to apply to drones. >> >> [If I'd detected anything similar in FAA and CASA provisions, I'd >> have included that in the draft as well. >> >> [Very few of the micro-drones in teenagers' stockings this Christmas >> will be >20kg. And, at least within a campus area, a 1kg book could >> be delivered with a sub-20kg drone as well. >> >> [Note too that there are various air traffic zones (described in >> paper 3 in the series), around airports, and in inverse cones above >> them, and across flight-paths at various altitudes. But the 400-foot >> max altitude rule that applies across a lot of territory leaves >> plenty of scope for action - and congestion, and accidents, and the >> many failure-modes that drones exhibit. >> >> [What, me worry?? >> >> >> >In the current context, no educational processes appear to be in >> >place to communicate to drone manufacturers, retailers and >> >commercial users that they need to undertake risk assessments, >> >devise and implement appropriate safeguards, and establish >> >appropriate commercial arrangements including public liability >> >insurance. There does not even appear to be any current momentum >> >towards encouraging hobby users to use drones within the context >> >provided by model aircraft clubs. >> >> [I'm hoping to nail down the model aircraft situation more tightly. >> >> [I wouldn't fly a model aircraft without either being a member of a >> club and working within their rules (which would provide me with >> cover), or reading the public liability part of my house and contents >> policy very, very carefully. >> >> [But I'm an old greybeard with an (admittedly dubious) reputation to >> protect, and enough assets to be worth suing. What proportion of >> drone users will take care to get (and pay for) public liability >> cover of an appropriate kind? (Has anyone had a chat with AAMI or >> NRMA about this?). >> >> >> Here's another indicator of how loose analogous situations are: >> >Satellite insurance is available for the launch, post-separation and >> >in-orbit operation phases. The duration of cover is short, and it >> >appears that the impact of space debris on other satellites may not >> >be currently insurable. It appears that no impact of space debris >> >on earth or in the earth's atmosphere has yet been the subject of >> >litigation - although a couple of near-misses have already occurred, >> >and the USSR compensated Canada for spacecraft-related nuclear >> >contamination in 1978 - and insurance policies for satellites do not >> >(yet) cover such risks. >> >> >> -- >> Roger Clarke http://www.rogerclarke.com/ >> >> Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA >> Tel: +61 2 6288 6916 http://about.me/roger.clarke >> mailto:[email protected] http://www.xamax.com.au/ >> >> Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law University of N.S.W. >> Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University >> _______________________________________________ >> Link mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link >> > > _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
