If you use drones commercially, you should protect your business with liability coverage for drones. Claims for invasion of privacy and espionage can run into the millions, so there are advantages to getting comprehensive drone insurance.
There are many different drone insurance products out there. Some will insure the drone only when it’s in flight, while others will provide year-round coverage, including collision damage or theft whether the drone is in use, transit or storage.
Let’s look at what drone insurance can do for your business.
Coverage for what you do
Whether you buy temporary insurance or standard annual coverage, it’s imperative to insure your drone. A lawsuit could be devastating to your business, and when drones are involved, lawsuits are a very real risk.
So, whether you’re a filmmaker or you use drones for maintenance or construction, you don’t want to expose yourself to needless lawsuits.
Here is a partial list of the uses that are covered by drone insurance:
- Mapping, agriculture, surveying and inspection of structures and buildings
- Movie production
- Professional photography
- Real estate promotion
- Filming events like concerts and weddings
- Promotional videos and other ad agency productions
You may be required to submit flight and maintenance logs to prove to the insurer that you operate the drone for business purposes.
Extensive liability coverage
While commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) insurance isn’t legally required in most states, it provides far more than the standard liability coverage for bodily injury or property damage to others.
Aircraft liability coverage protects you if someone unlawfully seizes your UAV. It covers all aircraft operators and everything covered by standard liability coverage (third party, injury, premises, contractors, etc.).
Remember that coverage varies greatly from one provider to the next. As for the coverage limit, most providers start at $500,000 and insure up to or even beyond $10 million.
Insuring the drone
You may also want to insure your drone for damage or theft. Since your drone is technically an aircraft, it needs something called hull coverage. You’ll want to make sure that your UAV is covered at its replacement value or at a value you can agree upon. Your coverage may also include data retrieval.
You can get payload coverage to make sure any equipment added to your drone (like cameras or sensors) is covered. Ground equipment coverage will cover laptops and tablets used to operate the drone, as well as any carrying cases or remote controllers.
Additional coverage options
If you lease or borrow your drone, you’ll want to add non-owned hull, payload and liability coverage as needed.
- Non-owned liability coverage for liability claims arising from operating a drone that you don’t own
- Non-owned hull coverage to cover damage to the drone or installed equipment
- Non-owned payload coverage (probably the most common) to cover damage to non-owned equipment added to or carried by the drone
Given the current paranoia surrounding the use of unmanned aircraft, you may also consider getting personal injury coverage for risks like violation of privacy.
Ask us about the drone insurance policy that’s right for you. You’ll need to provide information on the drones themselves (model, cost, equipment), the pilots (experience, training, certification) and the uses.
Go to our drone insurance website for more information, obtain a quote or purchase a drone insurance policy. www.massdroneinsurance.com
