Scientific paper ID 1141 : 2015/3

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) is primarily associated with military applications, from reconnaissance to bombing of targeted objects and liquidation of concrete persons. However, in recent times, with drones becoming more affordable, new uses of drones have emerged. One of the most important areas in new applications is the transport area. The Directive 2010/40/EU of July 7th, 2010 on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems points out that the increase in the volume of road transport is the primary cause of increased congestion of road infrastructure and rising energy consumption and also of some environmental and social problems. A prerequisite for introduction of an intelligent system is the availability of precise data about the traffic and road conditions. Drones, known for their easy maneuvering, great flexibility and relatively low costs of operation, can be used as a great aerial sensor for traffic data collection. They can provide bird’s eye view over routes of a large areas, and provide observation of traffic flow formation and dissipation. Also, many companies have recently begun to develop new ways of delivery of parcels that involve their delivery to the customer"s backyard using the drones.This paper discusses the civilian use of drones in the transport analyzing the benefits and potential risks of their application.