If you have been watching primetime television lately, you have probably seen a bunch of commercials for Nationwide insurance. And, while Peyton Manning’s “Chicken parm, you taste so good” will be the one that is stuck in your head forever and always, it’s this spot that got our attention:
Yes, at the 13 second mark, there is a drone unceremoniously dropping a (broken) package on Joe Nationwide’s doorstep.
Now the message of this ad is obviously, “In the impersonal world of customer service, Nationwide can provide you with a personal touch,” and has nothing to do with drones specifically.
However, the fact that this clip made it into the commercial is important because it means the folks over at Nationwide have drones on the mind.
We have written extensively about the evolution and availability of drone insurance for operators and aircraft but this commercial sparked an interesting conversation in our office: what about insurance to protect you and your home from drones?
Among their other services, Nationwide offers auto, life, homeowners, renters, pet, and even farm and wedding insurance.
It seems fairly clear Amazon (or Walmart) will be on the hook for guaranteeing your packages arrive at your home undamaged, but could this ad signal an awareness among insurance companies that drone related incidents could (and probably should) be included in certain policies?
It could be that the drone clip is meant to be a simple over exaggeration of Nationwide’s message, but every other scenario they present in this ad is extremely realistic (except for your insurance agent being on the spot and fully cooperative when you have an accident but then, I don’t have Nationwide so maybe I am mistaken?) and drone delivery is going to be very real, very soon.
That might be alarming to some and, if you count yourself among those who don’t want a drone delivering your makeup and vitamins, there are plenty of anti-drone technologies in development.
But, if you want a quicker, cheaper, and less invasive way of feeling protected from a wayward UAV, maybe you should ask your insurance company if you are covered for drone crashes.
Alan is serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and a drone enthusiast. He co-founded DRONELIFE.com to address the emerging commercial market for drones and drone technology. Prior to DRONELIFE.com, Alan co-founded Where.com, ThinkingScreen Media, and Nurse.com. Recently, Alan has co-founded Crowditz.com, a leader in Equity Crowdfunding Data, Analytics, and Insights. Alan can be reached at alan(at)dronelife.com
Your home owners policy would cover third party drone damage just as it would cover any other type of third party damage such as an automobile crashing into your home or a manned aircraft. Drones are not viewed differently and why should they be?
Your homeowners policy may exclude aviation and aircraft exposures on a first party basis for your own negligence and liability arising from the operation of your own drone but not damage caused by third parties.
Damage or bodily injury caused by a third party drone would arise from the negligence of the drone owner/operator and they would have liability for their negligent acts. If the negligent party can be identified, your insurer would subrogate just as they do against auto owners or other third parties. If the party cannot be identified, is not insured or does not have any means to pay, then there is no remedy for recovery. The same as any other type of third party loss.
Transport Risk Management, through our http://www.UnmannedRisk.com unit, provides each insured with a data plate that is affixed to the drone. Should a Transport Risk insured drone cause damage or bodily injury to a third party, our contact information is provided on the data plate. With that information, we can verify coverage and contact the owner/operator.
The new FAA Registration requirement will also provide a means to identify the operator so accountability is something every drone owner operator must be prepared for.
Give us a call at Transport Risk Management with any questions or for further clarification – 720-208-0844