If you own a drone in New Jersey, you’d better fly it sober. On Monday, January 15—his final day in office—New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a law making it illegal to operate an unmanned drone under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The law, which flew through the Garden State’s legislature last week, prohibits flying a drone if you have a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. If you’re caught, you’ll have to pay a fine of $1,000, and/or face up to six months of jail time.
More from Adorama: CES 2018: The Best & Biggest Announcements in Camera Tech
The down-to-earth law also bars flying a drone near a prison or for chasing wildlife. New Jersey is the first of 38 states considering similar restrictions against flying high to actually make it into law. The law had bipartisan support; it unanimously passed both New Jersey’s Democratic State Senate and Assembly, and was signed by its outgoing Republican governor.
This is the text of the new law:
“It is a disorderly persons offense to operate a drone: 1) knowingly or intentionally in a manner that endangers the life or property of another; 2) to take or assist in the taking of wildlife; and 3) while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, a narcotic, hallucinogenic, or habit-producing drug or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more by weight of alcohol. Disorderly persons offenses are punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.”
The legislation passed due to a rising number of incidents of drunk droning that caused property damage or injuries. This includes the 2015 drone crash on the White House lawn, which was caused by a drunken off-duty employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency who flew a Quadcopter from a nearby apartment building and lost control, causing a security breach.
Numerous videos on YouTube show compilations of footage shot by drones whose flighty operators may have been intoxicated. None of them end well for the drones.
The video below, which was shot in a controlled, indoor environment, reportedly shows the effect of alcohol on the ability to operate a drone. It shows the rapid deterioration of the abilities of even experienced drone fliers:
Reuters reports that a drone carrying wire cutters and a cell phone may have helped a prisoner escape from a maximum security prison in South Carolina. “Like any technology, drones have the ability to be used for good, but they also provide new opportunities for bad actors,” said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Drone sales continue to take off, with an 28% increase last year when over 3.1 million drones were sold in the United States. Drone sale revenues are sky-high, at over $1 billion for 2017.
