Police Slam New Compulsory Vehicle Warning Beacon (V16)

[Carl]

https://www.thelocal.es/20250716/police ... s-in-spain

Police slam new compulsory V-16 emergency light for drivers in Spain

In 2026, Spain's traffic authority will make it mandatory for drivers to have the new V-16 emergency light instead of warning triangles, but it has already come under a lot of heat from Spanish police.

From January 1st, 2026, passenger vehicles in Spain will be required to use an emergency light in the event of a breakdown or road accident, however it has been met with much criticism.

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) first presented the V-16 emergency light in 2021 and it is due to officially replace the standard warning triangles in 2026, meaning most of Spain's 28 million drivers have to purchasing one by the start of next year.

The V-16 light is designed to reduce the number of accidents caused by vehicles breaking down in the middle or on the side of roads, as well as reduce the number of drivers being run over while they’re using the warning triangles.

However, Spain's Unified Association of Civil Guard Police have criticised the effectiveness of these new lights already.

They claim that they’re not useful on roads with a high number of bends as oncoming drivers don't get the pre-warning that a triangle provides.

Furthermore, they stress that the V-16 lights are not bright or visible enough during daytime hours, rendering them useless.

In the past, Spanish Civil Guard officers have also spoken out on social media about the dangers of these lights.

In a tweet from last year, the association said: "According to DGT studies, many drivers have died after being hit by vehicles due to getting out to put down the warning triangle, but they don't know how many accidents have been avoided by using it. The new little light is useless if the vehicle is at the top of a hill or after a sharp bend”.

Guardia Civil officers argue that the V-16 lights may not fulfil their purpose in daylight hours due to their visibility not covering the full 360 degrees.

This is because the mandatory intensity for these lights is between 40 and 80 candela (light intensity units), which must be has for at least 30 minutes.

Therefore, they are not visible from a kilometre away during the day.

Some manufacturers have been making V-16s with an intensity of up to 200 candela to counteract this. Unfortunately, this comes with another issue in that it may be harmful to the driver's eyesight if viewed for a long period of time.

According to the DGT website, V-16 lights must be approved or certified and must also be connected to the DGT 3.0 GPS platform, which allows the exact location of a vehicle to be sent in real time.

This connectivity is what's increased their cost to around €50, another grievance for drivers.

The DGT website gives a list of V-16 light models which have already been approved.

If you are buying a new car from a dealership in Spain, it’s recommended that you request the V-16 emergency light to be included free of charge.

Then again, you may want to wait a bit longer to find out if they have to be adapted to counteract their current shortcomings.

[freddo]

I bought one from TEMU which has Certificate number IDIADA PC25020096 make is Don Feliz and it conforms to all the requirements they cost 37 euros post free batteries are included as well

[Carl]

I bought one from TEMU which has Certificate number IDIADA PC25020096 make is Don Feliz and it conforms to all the requirements they cost 37 euros post free batteries are included as well

I am sure that brand of V16s was being marketed by one of the large stores, so a worthy choice Fred.

A red triangle was, simply, a red triangle with little thought having to go into the design. Never really considered so many approved V16s, with subtle differences between products would be produced, although the potential sales for anyone of the V16s could be huge.

[freddo]

I wonder what a 1000 units Dropshipped will cost. It will be a nice earner if resold at 50 euros each, they are 69 euros in Carrefour

[Carl]

I wonder what a 1000 units Dropshipped will cost. It will be a nice earner if resold at 50 euros each, they are 69 euros in Carrefour

Not even sure Del Boy would risk it Fred, especially if DGT rewrite the V16 specification to correct the lighting performance shortcomings highlighted by the Unified Association of Civil Guard Police.

The V16s look to be a bit like buying a brand new TV, by the time you get it home the People's Republic of China will have released a newer model. These V16s started off as basic AA (or 9V in some models) battery powered strobe light. At least one V16 now is rechargeable via a USB port, and another can also be used as a torch.

[Lincoln45]

Came across a car on the hard shoulder with one of these lamps today. Could see the unit on top of the car before I could see the flashing light, didn't see the flashing light until I was about 5 metres away. Totally useless in this sunlight.

[Carl]

Came across a car on the hard shoulder with one of these lamps today. Could see the unit on top of the car before I could see the flashing light, didn't see the flashing light until I was about 5 metres away. Totally useless in this sunlight.

I had not seen one before, or even since, but I passed two cars several kms apart on the AP7 one morning a few weeks back, both with their V16s activated on the opposite side of the carriageway.

Would have been about 9ish, so sunlight not so strong as later in the day. Would not have said they were visible from the required 1km away, but they did show up perhaps from a few hundred metres before.

Hope this make some sort of sense. Maybe the angle between the vehicle you are travelling in versus the stationary vehicle affects the V16 visibility ? If you are travelling in the nearside lane, closest to the hard shoulder, you have a smaller area of the V16 visible compared to someone travelling in the outside lane (or opposite carriageway in my observation) ?

[gail]

Very useful to know, thanks. I was looking at buying one next time we are out in September, ready for when we come out the following time, but in view of this I think I will hold on until nearer the time when things are more certain.

[Carl]

Although I live out of the area and not a member of the Benijofar Community Facebook page, this post appeared on my Facebook timeline today.

Full credit to the original poster, Alex Argent. This is useful if you buy the Aldi V16, as it is a 'how to' guide to register that V16, but also highlights some difficulties that drivers might face if they are not the sole driver of a vehicle or do not have a phone.

Click on the 'see more' after the first paragraph to read the full post by Alex.

Just to add, in the comments section someone did mention that they could not register the V16 against a UK mobile number.