Spain Says Goodbye To Warning Triangles: What Every Driver Needs To Know Before 2026

The countdown has started. From January 1, 2026, nan classical emergency triangles that Spanish drivers person carried successful their boots for decades will officially beryllium replaced by a caller high-tech instrumentality – the V16 emergency light.

The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has confirmed nan alteration arsenic portion of a nationwide push to make roads safer and smarter. The move intends to trim accidents caused erstwhile drivers measurement retired of their vehicles to spot informing triangles — a consequence that has led to acold excessively galore tragic deaths connected Spanish roads.

This displacement isn’t conscionable astir modernising road safety devices – it’s portion of nan DGT’s integer postulation strategy (DGT 3.0), which connects vehicles, postulation systems, and emergency services successful existent time.

Who needs to transportation nan V16 emergency light?

According to nan DGT, nan norm applies to cars, vans, buses, lorries and mixed-use vehicles – basically, each modular vehicles isolated from motorbikes, mopeds and typical vehicles, which are exempt but tin still usage nan instrumentality voluntarily.

If your conveyance is registered successful Spain, you’ll request to person nan V16 ray connected committee — moreover erstwhile driving overseas successful countries that are portion of European postulation agreements.

For overseas vehicles entering Spain, accepted informing triangles will still beryllium accepted until a communal EU modular is introduced, but nan DGT is encouraging each drivers to adopt nan caller strategy arsenic soon arsenic imaginable for information reasons.

How does nan caller V16 ray work?

Unlike accepted triangles, nan V16 ray intends you’ll nary longer request to get retired of your car successful nan mediate of nan road. It’s a small, lightweight instrumentality pinch a magnetic base, designed to beryllium connected nan tile and emit a agleam yellowish flashing ray visible from each perspective – moreover up to 1 kilometre away.

But what really sets it isolated is that it’s connected. Each V16 beacon has a built-in GPS and SIM card, truthful nan infinitesimal it’s switched on, it automatically sends your nonstop location to nan DGT. That accusation is past shared successful existent clip pinch Traffic Management Centres, which tin alert different drivers done roadside signs and navigation systems.

To count arsenic official, nan V16 ray must beryllium approved by nan DGT and meet a fewer cardinal standards:

• It must person astatine slightest 30 minutes of artillery life erstwhile active.
• The artillery itself needs to past astatine slightest 18 months.
• Connectivity must beryllium guaranteed for 12 years — pinch nary other fees.

In short, nan V16 light is simply a smarter, safer and much convenient replacement to nan aged reflective triangles that person served their time.

What happens if you don’t person one?

When nan norm becomes mandatory successful 2026, not carrying a V16 could costs you astir €80, and failing to awesome an emergency decently – aliases successful a measurement that endangers others – could mean fines of up to €200.

The DGT is besides informing drivers to watch retired for clone aliases uncertified devices being sold online. Many inexpensive versions deficiency due connectivity aliases don’t meet charismatic information standards, meaning they won’t beryllium approved for usage erstwhile nan rule takes effect.

With this move, Spain becomes 1 of nan first countries successful Europe to make a connected emergency ray mandatory for each vehicles. The DGT hopes nan alteration will importantly trim roadside accidents and make Spanish roads safer for everyone – from drivers to emergency workers.

As nan DGT put it, nan extremity isn’t conscionable to modernise roadworthy information – it’s to support group alive.

Stay tuned pinch Euro Weekly News for much news from Spain