Drones in Insurance: State Farm to launch drones

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there, in the air. State Farm is the first insurer in the United States to receive FAA permission to test Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for commercial use. The decision provides the insurer the opportunity to research this new technology and potentially deploy it in ways that could benefit customers. State Farm plans to explore the use of unmanned aircraft to assess potential roof damage during the claims process and respond to natural disasters.

“The potential use of UAS provides us one more innovative tool to help State Farm customers recover from the unexpected as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Wensley Herbert, Operations Vice President – Claims. “We will continue to provide the same personal, good neighbor service State Farm is recognized for, with assistance from these high-tech devices.”

The company plans to move forward with test and development flights. These flights will be conducted at private test sites in theBloomington, Ill., area. Eventually, these test flights will evolve to testing in real-world scenarios. State Farm will strictly adhere to parameters set forth by the FAA.

About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve over 82 million policies and accounts – nearly 80 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.