The Director General of Traffic, Pere Navarro, has acknowledged that the implementation of the mandatory V16 beacon "could have been done better," referring to the doubts and controversies that arose during the first months of application of the new regulation that replaces traditional emergency triangles.
The statements, collected by Europa Press and reproduced by various media outlets, represent the first clear public admission from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) that the arrival of the new signaling system has generated confusion among drivers and consumers.
The connected V16 beacon is mandatory from January 1, 2026 to signal breakdowns and accidents on the road. The device emits a light signal and transmits the vehicle's location to the DGT 3.0 platform, with the aim of improving road safety and preventing drivers from having to leave the car to place the old triangles.
Despite the criticism received, Navarro defended the usefulness of the system and assured that "everything is advantages" compared to the previous model.
The DGT maintains the mandatory nature of the device
The DGT has reiterated on several occasions that it does not plan to delay the mandatory nature of the connected beacon. According to Navarro, the regulation had been announced for years and the sector had sufficient time to adapt.
During the last months, doubts have arisen about which devices are valid, how to check homologation, and what differences exist between connected beacons and other models marketed before the standard came into force.
The DGT itself maintains on its website an official list of approved devices to facilitate the identification of authorized models.
The organization has also had to respond to criticism related to the sale of invalid beacons for 2026 and the confusion generated among some consumers about the required technical characteristics.
Debate on sanctions and adaptation
Another of the points that has caused debate has been the application of sanctions.
In previous statements, Pere Navarro stated that officers were not going to stop vehicles solely to check if they were carrying the V16 beacon. However, he later clarified that a driver can indeed be fined if they suffer a breakdown and do not use the mandatory device to signal the vehicle.
The Ministry of the Interior also defended the measure, arguing that it seeks to reduce fatal road accidents, especially on highways and motorways, where numerous drivers have died in recent years after getting out of their cars to place the emergency triangles.
The DGT maintains that the main advantage of the new system is precisely to avoid that risk situation, since the beacon can be placed from the inside or by minimally sticking out of the vehicle's window.
Doubts persist among drivers and associations
Despite the defense of the system made by the Director General of Traffic, different consumer and driver associations have questioned how the implementation of the measure was carried out.
Facua went as far as to accuse the DGT of generating confusion due to the commercialization of certain devices, while Traffic responded that some judicial decisions temporarily allowed the sale of certain models without connectivity until the definitive entry into force of the new obligation in 2026.
For the moment, neither the DGT nor the Government have proposed modifying the regulations or eliminating the mandatory nature of the connected V16 beacon.