Regulations holding back use of drones in insurance sector

Erie Insurance is one of a number of insurance firms in the US engaged in testing drones for use in a number of scenarios, including damage assessment and risk management following approval from the FAA last spring. Current regulations stipulate that drone operators must hold a pilot licence and that a trained visual observer is also present, making the application of drones beyond the test environment too expensive, however Erie Insurance is hopeful that the FAA will relax regulations enabling powerful tools to be deployed in the property & casualty sector.

Drones are poised to become powerful tools for property/casualty insurers.

Erie, Pennsylvania-based Erie Insurance Group is one of the first insurers to move from testing drones to actually using them to assist with property damage claims. In the latest episode of Business Insurance In Focus, assistant managing editor Aranya Tomseth talks to Erie's vice president of claims about the company's initial forays into commercial drone use.