From January 1, 2026, the V16 beacon will become mandatory on all vehicles in Spain and will definitively replace the traditional emergency triangles. The change aims, in principle, to reduce the around 25 accidents that … They occur every year in drivers who get out of their car after a breakdown or accident. Of course, this measure is not without controversy.
In order to dispel certain doubts about the use of this device, the general director of Traffic, Father Navarro, He participated in Telecinco News, where he answered many questions generated by the beacon. “Everything is a plus,” he said emphatically at the start of his speech.
“Every year we have twenty-five deaths from traffic accidents that came out of the car,” Navarro said. Faced with this reality, he highlighted the main difference with the new system. “With him you don’t have to get out of the car, with the triangle you do,” he insisted.
The DGT answers questions
Another great novelty is the automatic connection with traffic systems. According to the director of the DGT, the signal will not only be visible physically, but also digitally. “This is logged in, you will see it in the browser, on Google Maps, on Waze. Look, a mile and a half away, there’s a vehicle stopped on the road,” he pointed out. The procedure is also minimal. “You just take it out of the glove box, turn it on and put it on the roof. From the inside. “It’s that simple.”
One of the most common questions concerns its visibility in broad daylight. Navarro responded wryly. “Do you see the triangle? » » he asked, before adding that at least the beacon incorporates a light which improves signaling compared to the current system.
He was also asked what happens in particularly dangerous scenarios, such as breaking down on a sharp corner. “What do you want? ‘Get out of the car and place the triangle in the sharp corner and get crushed?'” he replied, wondering if the traditional system actually offered more protection to the driver.
Regarding the use of triangles, he clarified that they will not be banned, even if they will no longer be obligatory. “What will be mandatory are the beacons,” he explained, adding that anyone who decides to continue using them will do so at their own risk. Concerning geolocation, he denied any individual control. “The beacon sends the data without any identification, it only tells us that there is a vehicle that is stopped“, he stressed.
Finally, Navarro stressed that vehicles with foreign plates will not be required to carry the tag and will have to continue using triangles, while Spanish drivers traveling abroad will be legally covered if they do not wear them. Concerning the price, which is between 40 and 50 euros, he clarified that “the DGT does not pay anything” and recalled that not wearing the tag will result in a fine of 80 euros. “There will be no extension” from January 1, 2026.
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