Drones will have to be registered and their users required to pass safety tests under new rules to be announced by the U.K.'s Department for Transport on Saturday.
Registration will be mandated for owners of drones 250 grams (8.8 ounces) or larger after research found that drones as small as 400 grams (14 ounces) could damage the windscreens of helicopters. Other security measures like "geo-fencing" -- GPS-based technology programmed into drones to prevent them from flying into sensitive areas such as prisons and airports -- are also under consideration, according to a statement from the department.
"Our measures prioritize protecting the public while maximizing the full potential of drones," aviation minister Martin Callanan will announce Saturday, according to the statement.
The new rules come at a time when drone flights are skyrocketing for both personal and corporate uses but the laws haven't caught up, leaving open the possibility of significant harm. It would only take a drone as big as 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) to "critically" damage the windscreen of an airliner flying at high speed, according to research from the Department for Transport, the British Airline Pilots Association and the Military Aviation Authority.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 24 2017, @08:55PM
The Man is here to trample our fun. We were just trying to have a good time.
Fuck it, let's go bowling.
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Monday July 24 2017, @09:18PM (3 children)
You could do much worse things with drones than just that... but it's a good idea to be careful with them.
A couple of neighborhood kids once dropped a chunk of ice off a bridge onto a highway in a neighboring town. The ice was only about soccer ball sized, but their positioning was perfect - it hit the windshield of a car moving 70 mph. It went through the windshield like it was tissue, into the head of the driver, killing her instantly. The ensuing crash killed all of her children in the car, and only her husband survived. The brats (that dropped the ice off the bridge) were only caught because their parents put 2 and 2 together, and reported it.
People are morons and don't think about the consequences. You need stuff like this to not be too easy to do.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday July 24 2017, @10:14PM (1 child)
That's why there should be parenting classes in school, and any dicks who'd make shit parents should be sterilised.
Too many shit parents raising kids to be shit parents
You need a licence to own a drone, but any stupid fuck can have a kid.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Monday July 24 2017, @11:27PM
Working two part time jobs to stay afloat, who the hell has time for parenting classes?
That's the society you build, those are the consequences.
Remember 9 to 5 [wikipedia.org]? Those were good times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday July 25 2017, @09:14PM
People are morons and don't care about the consequences.
FTFY
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by rob_on_earth on Tuesday July 25 2017, @08:42AM
Policeman: Nice drone you have there, let me see your licence
Owner: Sorry, got this drone before 2017 registration
Policeman: But it has the latest holographic video camera and this years, branded, super strong and light propellers!
Owner: But the original was bought in 2016 and I have just been upgrading it.
Policeman: let me tell you about a broom I once had ...
(Score: 3, Funny) by kazzie on Tuesday July 25 2017, @01:14PM
At last! It's high time they regulated bagpipe [wikipedia.org] owners.