{"id":42629,"date":"2018-01-16T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=42629"},"modified":"2018-10-25T21:32:25","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T01:32:25","slug":"its-official-new-jersey-bans-drunken-drone-nuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/its-official-new-jersey-bans-drunken-drone-nuts\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Official: New Jersey Bans Drunken Drone Nuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you own a drone<\/a> in New Jersey, you’d better fly it sober. On Monday, January 15\u2014his final day in office\u2014New 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.<\/p>\n

More from Adorama: CES 2018: The Best & Biggest Announcements in Camera Tech<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

This is the text of the new law:<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

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Flying Drones DRUNK<\/div><\/div>
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