Spain's DGT orders Guardia Civil to respond to every V16 beacon alert

Spain's DGT will require the Guardia Civil to mobilise for every activated V16 beacon

With only 13 million V16 beacons sold against the 32 million vehicles required to carry them, Spain's DGT has decided to end its tolerance and tighten the rules. The novelty is not just the mandatory nature of the device – already punishable with a 200-euro fine – but an instruction that forces the Guardia Civil to attend the scene every time a beacon is activated. On paper, the measure aims to guarantee road safety, but in practice it raises more questions than answers.

Public resistance and technical doubts

Rejection of the V16 beacon is palpable. Some argue that emergency triangles are safer because they are visible from a greater distance, while the beacon, placed on top of the vehicle, is barely noticeable. Others point out that the device has no GPS – as has been rumoured – and that requiring drivers to call 112 to report its activation would saturate an already overwhelmed service. The irony reaches maximalist heights: some speculate about using the beacon as bait to lure the Guardia Civil to remote locations, switching it off and repeating the operation kilometres away. A joke that reveals the distrust towards a rule many see as a new hidden tax.

The announced collapse of the 112 service

If every driver with a flat tyre has to call 112, the emergency system could see a multiplication of calls over minor incidents. In the Basque Country, signs have already been put up urging drivers to call when activating the beacon, causing bewilderment: what for? To ask for help or to report a tyre change? The DGT has not yet clarified the protocol, leaving the door open to administrative chaos.

The measure aims to increase the effectiveness of the alert, but public scepticism and operational doubts threaten to turn the V16 into a source of conflict. Is the DGT ready to manage the flood of calls and mobilisations it has itself triggered?