Why Americans should give drones a chance

By Matt McFarland

Today drones are generally illegal to operate commercially, and Americans are skeptical of them. An Associated Press poll found that only 21 percent of Americans favor commercial use of drones.

But amid that bad rap, drones are quietly proving ways they can save taxpayers money, and help businesses serve their customers better.

While privacy and safety concerns remain — as is typical with any emerging technology — U.S. drone operators with FAA exemptions are backing up claims that drones will reinvent how the world operates.

“It’s more effective, it’s more efficient and it’s life-saving,” said Michael Toscano, president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. “People will realize this is a better way of doing what they’ve done before.”

Right now, as only a small group of commercial drone operators have approval to fly in the United States, we’re seeing a few drops of potential leak from a spigot. Once rules are in place for commercial drone use, expect a flood of creativity that consumers and taxpayers can benefit from.

Here are five successful cases happening today that hint at a bright and useful future for drones:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2015/01/06/why-americans-should-give-drones-a-chance/