Spain no longer accepts the triangle to signal emergencies on the road, with the entry into force, as scheduled, of the regulation that mandates the use of V-16 signaling lights. However, there are some exceptions to this requirement, mainly for foreign drivers circulating on the Spanish road network.
The introduction of V-16 lights for indicating accidents and breakdowns on the road eliminates the use of the conventional emergency triangle placed on the ground, with the General Directorate of Traffic of Spain (DGT) stating that the new method is much more visible (the danger situation can be recognized from up to 1 km away!), even under adverse weather conditions. Equally important is the fact that these V-16 lights can transmit the exact location of the broken down or accident vehicle to the DGT (via mobile network message, as they integrate a SIM card), and from there to navigation systems, with real-time updates of vehicles circulating near the incident.
The concept is based on the principle of bidirectional communication (Car-to-X and X-to-Car) and the DGT 3.0 cloud technology, which receives and distributes all traffic information in Spain. The alert is then passed on to navigation applications and road information panels. The DGT regulates the entire homologation process for the V-16s, presenting, on its website, the list of validated equipment (by brands).
As in other countries, the use of the warning triangle still persists; it is important to clarify that this regulatory change in Spain does not violate what is stated in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, an agreement from 1968, under which vehicles in international circulation must comply with the provisions of the country in which they are registered. This means that Spaniards driving in another European country do not need to return to the triangle, while drivers of other nationalities, such as the Portuguese, are protected by the same Convention and therefore also do not need to acquire the V-16 lights and can use conventional triangles in case of breakdown or accident.
