A few weeks after the entry into force of the obligation to carry in the vehicle the V-16 connected light beacon, on January 1, 2026, the Provincial Traffic Headquarters of Navarra recalls the need to have an approved device to signal breakdowns and accidents on the road. This device will definitely replace the emergency triangles and aims to reduce the accident rate.

Every year in Spain, around 25 people hit by the road who had got out of the vehicle die, many of them while trying to signal a breakdown or place the triangles. The new regulations are created precisely to avoid these risks and reduce the exposure of the driver to traffic.

In fact, some countries like the United Kingdom have banned the use of triangles on high-capacity tracks, considering it dangerous for occupants to leave the vehicle to place them. The V-16 responds to the same protection criterion, also adding the connectivity that technology allows, so that on the one hand there is physical visibility, luminous, for the safety of those who go in the vehicle itself that has been immobilized and, on the other hand, virtual visibility, which allows to notify the other drivers who circulate in the zone of influence through browsers, mobility applications and variable message panels that there is a vehicle standing on the road to take the relevant security measures.

Which vehicles are required to carry it

In accordance with the provisions of Annex XII to the General Vehicles Regulation, the vehicles to be fitted with this device, which is the only vehicle authorised to report a breakdown or incident on the road, are passenger cars, vans, buses, mixed vehicles, lorries and non-special vehicle assemblies. In the case of motorcycles, although there is no obligation, their use is very advisable for safety reasons.

The V-16 works completely autonomously thanks to an integrated SIM card, without the need for a mobile phone or external applications. Telecommunications companies do not additionally charge for this service, as the regulations guarantee a minimum connectivity of 12 years included in the price of the device.

The beacon must be stored loaded in the glove compartment or in another accessible place inside the vehicle and, if you have to use it, it is turned on and placed from the inside of the car at the highest possible level, so that its physical visibility is greater. In case it cannot be placed on the roof of the vehicle, as happens in buses and trucks, it can be placed on the driver's door.

Once turned on and positioned at the top of the vehicle, at the same time as emitting the light signal, it automatically transmits the exact location of the damaged vehicle to the DGT 3.0 platform so that drivers who circulate in the area of influence of the stopped vehicle receive this information through their browsers, mobility applications or variable message panels.

Once activated, in accordance with article 130.3 of Royal Decree 1428/2003, of 21 November, approving the General Traffic Regulations, “in case of accident or breakdown, as a general rule, if the vehicle is immobilised without the possibility of restarting, the occupants must leave the vehicle, provided that there is a safe place outside the traffic platform and, in any case, they must leave the vehicle on the side opposite the traffic flow without transiting or remaining in the lanes or arches that make up said platform. If the driving conditions do not allow the occupants to safely leave the vehicle, they will remain in the cabin with their seat belt fastened.”

Therefore, it will be up to the driver to assess whether or not it is possible to leave the vehicle safely.

Which model of connected V1-16 I buy

There are more than two hundred models of V-16 connected, with variable prices fixed by the market itself. A simple and quick way for citizens to know if the beacon they want to acquire is approved and certified is to enter the web of the DGT, in the section of V-16, where the brands and models certified according to the regulations appear. All of them must be certified by IDIADA or LCOE, which are the authorized technical laboratories that ratify that the models comply with the regulations required for their use and proper functioning.

Clarifying doubts and false information

The implementation of the connected V-16 has generated doubts fed by erroneous or incomplete information, mostly on social networks. Citizens are reminded of the importance of being informed in official sources to avoid disinformation, which in this case has also reached the V-16.

Below, the main hoaxes are clarified, using official information and road safety criteria.

• “The V-16 will not really be mandatory” – FALSE

The obligation is established in the General Regulation of Vehicles and enters into force on January 1, 2026. From that date, the connected V16 will be the only valid element to signal immobilised vehicles, for road safety reasons.

• “The V-16 geolocates me all the time or sends my personal data” –FALSE

The V-16 beacon only transmits the location of the vehicle when activated and only for security purposes. It does not record speed, nor does it track anything, at the same time that it does not transmit personal data nor can it identify the license plate. The data received by the DGT is anonymized. The Data Protection Agency recently issued a communication in this regard corroborating that “the beacon is not associated with a person or license plate, without there being a registry that links the device with the identity of the person who uses it”.

DGT recalls that you do not have to give any personal data when you buy any of the approved and connected beacons.

• “Any connected V-16 serves” – FALSE

Only beacons approved and published in the official list of the DGT after passing certified tests are valid. They must include the name of the laboratory and the certificate number engraved on the tulip. Using an uncertified device is not valid or safe.

• “You need an app or mobile to work” – FALSE

The V-16 beacon already includes all the elements necessary for its correct operation, such as a GPS chip and a non-removable SIM card and over telecommunication networks of wide coverage. It does not require additional applications, phones or pairings. Simply turn it on and place it on the outside of the vehicle.

• “You will have to pay a fee for connectivity” – FALSE

Connectivity is included in the price. Operators do not charge the user, and the regulations require a minimum availability of 12 years without additional cost.

• “Does not work in tunnels or areas without coverage” – FALSE

The beacon employs specialized IoT networks capable of operating in difficult conditions. In cases where even these networks are not available, the beacon will continue to function as a signal.

• “V16 calls 112 or the assistance service -crane” – FALSE

La V16 no llama a emergencias ni determina la naturaleza del incidente. Its function is only to signal and send the position of the vehicle. The call to both the emergency service in case it is needed or the assistance service of the insurance company must be made by the user.

• “Triangles are still safer” – FALSE

The triangles force you to leave the vehicle and walk at least 100 meters along the road to place them, which increases the risk of running over.

• “If I travel abroad and have to immobilize my vehicle I have to use the triangles”- FALSE

The V-16 is valid for Spanish vehicles travelling in the countries that are signatories to the Vienna Convention, including Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.… The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic establishes that countries may require, in order to allow international movement in their territory, that the car carry on board a signalling device that will consist either of “a plate in the shape of an equilateral triangle” or “any other device of equal effectiveness prescribed by the legislation of the country in which the vehicle is registered”.

• “Fines of up to 30,000 euros”- FALSE

The infringement for not carrying the V-16 beacon is slight and its penalty is 80 euros, the same amount as the amount established for the one who did not carry the pre-signaling triangles.