The growing popularity of the use of drones has sparked thoughts on whether or not the United States government should place regulations on the device. Since drones are so cheap and easy to obtain, some fear that people will be careless and cause drones to collide with passenger planes and result in serious accidents. As a result, the government is currently seeking to have all drones registered as well as require special permits in order for them to be used.

According to a USA Today article by Bart Jansen, “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already requires registration numbers on commercial drones and it has approved 1,891 special permits through Oct. 15 for a variety of uses, such as aerial photography, pipeline inspections and agricultural monitoring.” If the drones are registered and have the ability to be tracked, the owner can be tracked down and fined following any collisions. Anthony Foxx from the United States Secretary of Transportation hopes for fines to be as large as $25,000. Rules and regulations regarding drones are expected to be established June 2016.

Currently, drones can be purchased online for as low as $89.99 with the click of a button. Are the consequences of these flying machines really worth the risk? I personally believe that rules and regulations are necessary to protect people from the carelessness of others. Drones shouldn’t be as easy to obtain and permits should be required in order to purchase one.