The V-16 emergency lights are here, will they replace the triangles on your vehicle?

On November 10, the Council of Ministers approved by means of Royal Decree 970/2020 the reform of the Circulation Regulation. This reform brings with it important novelties that we will explain to you on our blog.

The changes are important: they are related, among other things, to new penalties for handling mobile devices or the use of radar detectors, changes in the age required for certain driving licenses or the prohibition of exceeding the maximum speed to overtake in certain cases.

Soon we will detail all these changes, in another article, but today we focus on a new accessory that every vehicle will have to carry, it seems, for emergencies soon: the V-16 light 

The V-16 emergency light is a new device that produces flashes. With it, in the event of a breakdown or emergency, other drivers are told that there is a vehicle stopped on the road.

In the same way as the triangles, which in 2000 were established as mandatory for all vehicles, indicate danger meters before a vehicle stopped on the road, these devices, thanks to their intense flashes, will alert of the same situation.

Many of you will remember how, in the year 2000, after the approval of the obligation to carry a couple of warning triangles in all vehicles, there was some chaos because the demand exceeded the available supply. Such was the problem that the Government of the time had to establish a moratorium for shortages of triangles.

The main advantage of these emergency beacon lights is that the driver does not have to leave the vehicle to signal that it obstructs part of the road They are designed to be placed on the roof of the vehicle, and can be easily installed from the window. Avoid if, if they replace the triangles, that a driver must walk on the road, thus avoiding a great risk, which surely many of you have encountered. The fact of walking on the shoulder of a highway or road with poor visibility is something that is better avoided, don't you think?

As in the case of triangles, V-16 emergency lights must comply with a series of requirements and characteristics:

• They must emit a flashing light, auto yellow in color, at a frequency that can range from 0.8 to 2 hertz, for at least half an hour.
• Viewing angle: 360º horizontally, that is, around the entire vehicle and 9º vertically, both above and below the location of the light.
• Have a magnet for its placed on the roof of the vehicle.
• They must have a luminous power of between 40 and 80 candelas.
• It must be able to work in a temperature range between -10ºC to 50ºC
• It must be autonomous with its own battery, rechargeable or not, ensuring the charge for at least 18 months.

Before purchasing one, to ensure that they meet this set of characteristics, and therefore fulfill the function for which they were designed, you should always confirm that the emergency light in question is approved.

This model has been tested by specialized laboratories and complies with the ECE / R10 / CE quality standards defined in the General Vehicle Signaling Regulation V-16

Its light is visible from 2 kilometers. Its body is fluorescent and has a powerful magnetic base for installation on the roof of the vehicle. It is rechargeable via USB (it includes a USB socket for charging). It also has three different lighting modes: rotating light, international SOS and fixed light.

In this case, for the moment, the General Directorate of Traffic in this reform of the Traffic Regulations has only authorized their use as an alternative to the triangles, it does not change one for the other, and it will continue to be mandatory to wear them.

As of July 1, 2021, it will be allowed to use the V16 light signal instead of the triangles, to signal an emergency or breakdown.

In 2026 it will definitively replace the triangles and it will be mandatory.

Avoid unnecessary risks in case you have to signal your vehicle on the road, saving your triangles and switching to the new V-16 beacon, which you can find in our online store for only 27.83 euros.