This security drone is used to monitor a coastal area of Spain.

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Are Drones Too Dangerous?

March 31, 2025

By Cailin Loesch

As You Read, Think About: How can drones be helpful? How can they be harmful?

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On November 18, a suspicious drone was spotted flying over northern New Jersey. About 5,000 more sightings were reported in the following weeks. No one seemed to know who was flying the drones or why. People began to panic.

Government officials assured the public that there was nothing to fear. Still, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), were temporarily banned in many towns. The incident raised questions about whether drones are a threat to privacy and safety.

In the U.S., more than 1 million drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Just under half are used by businesses. Others are used by the government. Hundreds of thousands of people also fly drones for fun.

The FAA sets rules for drone use. For example, drones must stay within the user’s sight. And they should not be flown near airports or emergency vehicles.

Critics say that with so many drones out there, it can be hard to monitor them. And some drone users ignore FAA rules or are not aware they exist.

But others say drones aren’t dangerous if used properly. Plus, they argue, drones are useful tools that quickly deliver lifesaving medical supplies, capture some aerial shots for movies, and help farmers monitor crops.

Are drones too dangerous?

Many experts say the benefits of drones far outweigh any dangers. For one, drones equipped with heat-sensing technology help save lives. With their bird’s-eye view, UAVs can locate people or pets who are lost or stranded.

“Drones are valuable for search and rescue missions,” says drone pilot and expert Timothy Danley. He’s a member of a search and rescue team in Willows, California.

Drones can cover large areas much faster than humans can. During a training exercise last year, Danley hid a hat and backpack in a 20-acre patch of wilderness. That’s an area about the size of 15 football fields. Using a drone, his team found the items in less than 10 minutes.

“On the ground, the team might have hiked for hours before finding them,” Danley explains.

Plus, scientists use UAVs to investigate areas that are too difficult or dangerous for humans to explore. Researchers use drones to film lava spewing from volcanoes and to map caves, mines, and tunnels.

Worldwide, people will spend about $84 billion on drones in 2025.

^{Source: Grand View Research}

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Along with drones come concerns about safety. UAVs can be difficult to control, especially in high winds. They can easily crash into buildings or people.

UAVs can also interfere with airplanes. In January, as a wildfire burned in California, someone lost control of their drone. It crashed into a firefighting plane, leaving a hole in the wing. If the drone had hit the cockpit, the airplane’s pilot might have been injured or killed.

Legal experts also worry that drones could invade people’s privacy. After all, what’s to stop someone from flying a drone into your backyard and taking photos?

And many people who use drones for fun don’t realize that the FAA rules exist. Danley says that’s a big problem. He believes more needs to be done to teach people the correct way to operate drones.

“We should get better at educating people on the rules,” Danley says. “There should be more enforcement before you can just put a drone in the air.”

The FAA receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports each month.