Safety Behaviors in Flying Agricultural Drones

Abstract

     Currently, agricultural drones are being used more widely in agriculture with increasing demand. Therefore, drone pilots should be aware of the safety of their own lives and property, another person, and the environment. As there are gaps from previous research on the behaviors that promote safety, the purpose of this research is to 1) study the safety behaviors for flying Agricultural Drone, and 2) compare the safety behaviors for flying Agricultural Drone. The sample group is 300 farmers participating in the 1 Tambon 1 Digital project (Drone-Hearted Community). A questionnaire was used as a tool to collect information toward safety behavior, including aviation knowledge and the use of agricultural substances, attitudes and practices regarding safety. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and one-way analysis of variance. The research results found that the sample group had most knowledge in flying safety on the matter of studying the user manual before flying (279, 93%). As for the safety in using agriculture substances, most concern was about the impact of the substances used on the environment (274, 91.3%). As for the attitudes towards safety, most concern was given to the pre-flight knowledge, with an average value of 3.31, interpreted as a moderate level. And in terms of safety practices, most concern is given to complying with the conditions before flying, with an average value of 3.49, interpreted as a moderate level. The results of the research can be adapted as measures to promote safe drone flying behaviors. Various agencies can use these findings to develop, promote, and support Thai farmers to receive and utilize new technologies for the benefit of the agricultural sector with safety.