UPDATED 23:12 EST / NOVEMBER 26 2017

EMERGING TECH

UK law would require drone users to pass safety awareness tests

The United Kingdom is set to be the latest country to crack down on the use of drones as it published draft laws that would require some drone users to pass safety awareness tests, among other things.

The proposed legislation, aimed at preventing the unsafe or criminal use of drones, is claimed to make sure drone users to fly safely and legally, including allowing the devices to be used for business and public service purposes.

With every carrot comes a stick and the draft drone bill doesn’t hold back. Provisions would give police officers the right to order operators to ground their drones on demand as well as seize them should they believe an offense has taken place. The bill will also make it mandatory for operators of drones larger than 250 grams (0.55 pounds) to register with the government and to undertake safety tests to qualify for that registration.

In addition to registration and training, drone operators will also be required to use unspecified apps to access information needed to make sure any planned flight can be made safely and legally. It’s not clear whether operators will be required to log that they have used an app prior to a drone flight, but given that it’s a requirement in the proposed legislation, compulsory flight logging is a strong possibility.

Where drones can be operated will also be restricted under the proposal. They’ll be banned from flying near airports or above 400 feet.

“Police officers will use all available powers to investigate reports of criminal misuse of drones and seek the appropriate penalty,” Serena Kennedy, assistant chief constable for the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Criminal Misuse of Drones, said in a statement. Drone users are advised to make sure they “know the rules for using a drone because it is always your responsibility to ensure that you are acting within the law and in line with the [proposed] Civil Aviation Authority’s Drone Code.”

The U.K. follows in the steps of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which implemented compulsory drone operator registration in December 2015. That requirement only lasted 18 months before it was overturned by a court in May this year on the grounds that it conflicted with an existing law.

In July, the FAA was reported to be considering a new remote drone identification system that would allow drones in the air to be identified from the ground, presumably with some sort of new registration system. But the proposal has not moved forward yet.

Photo: Maxpixel

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