U.K. to Require Registration and Safety Tests for Drone Owners
- Invisible ‘geo-fencing’ also planned for sensitive buildings
- Rules aim to balance public safety, growth in nascent sector
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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.