Police in Belleville, Ontario, said Tuesday they can’t find any laws to apply against the operator of a drone that was in a head-on collision with a car last Monday. The aircraft hit the grill of the vehicle, which was traveling on a country road, and caused about $1,000 in damage. There were no injuries. The aircraft appears to have been operated legally under Transport Canada’s rules, too. The operator was found but Belleville Police Sgt. Kosta Brindakis told the CBC that there was no legal recourse for police. “Quite honestly, we’re not sure what may apply,” he said.
Highway laws don’t apply and the collision was an accident so sections of Canadian law dealing with vandalism and mischief didn’t work either. However, he said civil action could result. Brindakis suggested lawmakers will have to address this sort of mishap sooner rather than later. “It’s the first [drone vs. vehicle crash]I’ve heard of —and it probably won’t be the last,”Brindakissaid. “It’s not a specific big problem right now, but there’s all kinds of scenarios that could come up.”
