It’s estimated that as many as one million drones will be given as holiday gifts in the next few weeks, according to an article in Popular Mechanics.
Aside from the issue that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is going to have to deal with thousands and thousands of new small unmanned aerial systems in the air, many of those who receive these gifts are children, according to the Business Insider.
The National Geographic even published the 10 most popular drones to give as gifts, including buying the book “Drones for Dummies,” which has been published for those interested in learning how to operate these aircraft that hit the consumer market in 2013.
But it’s been reported that these gifts aren’t really as safe as they may appear. One family in England found out when the drone of a family friend went out of control and hit a tree then spun into their nearby toddler, slicing the 18-month-old’s eye in half.
Little Oscar Webb suffered permanent injury in this horrific accident as adults stood by helplessly not knowing what to do. The drone was in the air for about 60 seconds and as its operator tried to bring it down, it clipped the tree then spun around into the unaware little boy, according to stories on the incident. For that toddler, he awaits several surgeries before being fitted with a prosthetic eye.
Agencies in the United States are considering regulations, including the registration of the drone. A newly-created task force that’s advising the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA is hoping to announce regulations in the next few days before many of these gifted drones hit the airspace. These regulations may include registering the drone with the federal government before using it.
In the meantime, please be careful in operating this new gift. As exciting as it may seem, it can quickly become something out of control if you don’t exercise extreme safety measures for yourself and those around you because this recreational device may pose a greater risk for others’ than you may realize.