Insurers AIG and USAA said they received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to test unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use in claims handling.
“We’re proud to be among the first insurers approved to test this technology,” said Alan Krapf, president of USAA Group. “It’s our responsibility to explore every option to improve our members’ experience.”
AIG said its FAA approval allows the company to “conduct inspections for risk assessment, risk management, loss control and surety performance” in the US. The insurer had already started research and development of UAVs, or drones, in New Zealand. Work here has “provided valuable insights on technology, flight operations and image collection techniques,” AIG said.
“Leveraging cutting edge technologies like UAVs can enhance our ability to assess and mitigate risks to better help our customers and their communities prepare for and rebuild after a catastrophic event,” said Eric Martinez, executive vice president of claims and operations at AIG.
Benefits of UAVs, according to AIG, include the safe access to areas that can be cut off to manual inspection following an event.
USAA said it applied for exemption from some FAA regulations on drones in October 2012 in order to test the machines. The approval allows the reciprocal insurer to fly UAVs during the day with sight of a trained pilot and air crew. The company said it will continue to report all flights to the FAA prior to takeoff and no flights will go higher than 400 feet in the air.
Ironically, insurer interest in drones coincides with some uncertainty about where to put the risk as commercial and hobbyists explore UAVs more and more.
At Advisen’s Casualty Insights Conference last month, Thomas Klaus, vice president at Willis Aerospace–Americas, explained the use of drones commercially has been realized and practiced in many industries from photography and movie production to law enforcement and military.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. The fact is, the industry is “still trying to find the best home” for many of the risks associated with UAVs, Klaus said.
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Chad Hemenway is Managing Editor of Advisen News. He has more than 15 years of journalist experience at a variety of online, daily, and weekly publications. He has covered P&C insurance news since 2007, and he has experience writing about all P&C lines as well as regulation and litigation. Chad won a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Single Article in 2014 for his coverage of the insurance implications of traumatic brain injuries and Best News Coverage in 2013 for coverage of Superstorm Sandy. Contact Chad at 212.897.4824 or [email protected].
