Goodbye warning triangle, welcome V16 flash light

The flash light in traffic

The contents of this article apply mainly to road users in Spain. Vehicles with foreign number plates (not Spanish number plates) must at all times check the traffic regulations of their own country and those of the country they are visiting.

Adaptation of signalling in case of breakdown or accident

Road users in Spain of motorized vehicles and with a Spanish license plate will be allowed to replace their warning triangle with the so-called Help Flash. The device that will replace the warning triangle is called the Help Flash or V-16. This is a kind of signal that can be placed directly from the car on the roof or the side by means of attached magnets. The light works on batteries and can be used as a flashing light in an emergency, hazard marker and as a flashlight.

Current rules

At the moment it is still compulsory in Spain to have 2 warning triangles in the car and for all occupants to wear a yellow jacket* in case of a breakdown or accident (*only outside built-up areas). For foreign vehicles there are other rules but at least 1 warning triangle is mandatory and you should take enough yellow vests.

Improve visibility

The idea behind this comes of course from DGT, the Spanish traffic service Dirección General de Tráfico and aims to improve the safety of road users. This is also a logical fact because the warning triangles require you to travel a distance to place the warning triangle both in front of and behind the car at a distance of 50 m. The flash light is simply placed on the roof.

Easy to place

The device itself must meet some requirements. For example, it must have a battery life of at least 30 minutes and it must be weatherproof. These lights also need to be equipped with a magnet so they can be stuck to the car. An option is to buy the more advanced lights that even have a GPS on board which communicates your location to DGT (via the cloud of DGT 3.0).

When do these rules apply

From 01-07-2021 it is allowed to replace the warning triangle by these lights in case of breakdown or accident. From 01/01/2026 only the use of these lights will be permitted.