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Safety feature may cause deaths
THE Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) is studying statistics involving an obligatory safety feature that they believe could actually be contributing to road fatalities.
Pere Navarro, the director of the Spanish traffic authority (DGT), has explained that his department is studying the elimination of the law requiring signposting accidents on motorways and dual carriageways, said a news source on Tuesday, June 27.
The DGT has collected statistics which have put one particular safety requirement under the microscope, after fears that it may be putting drivers at risk with a number of people hit by vehicles on the road.
Red Triangle
The problem has been highlighted due to the number of people who are killed when they get out of their vehicle to signal an accident or breakdown by placing a red triangle on the road.
The DGT has now raised concerns that positioning these signs, on motorways and dual carriageways, may be causing more safety infringements than benefits.
Reputedly, this is one of the worst black marks in national road accident statistics in which deaths from other causes are decreasing. By putting an end to placing a warning symbol on the road, the aim is to reduce the number of deaths.
The alternative solution is the use of what is called a V16 beacon which is available to buy now and is expected to become mandatory in January 1, 2026.
Replacement Safety Feature
The V16 beacon is a light that is placed on the roof of the car and also has a builtin geolocator. It also has one major significant advantage over the red triangle warning sign.
The V16 is visible at 1,000 metres and sends a signal to the DGT cloud so that emer gency services and other drivers are aware of the danger. Crucially the driver does not have to leave the vehicle since it is enough to just open the window and position it.
It is believed that Spain will be the first country in the EU to instigate the mandatory use of the V16 from 2026.
Between 2021 and 2022, 42 people were killed after getting out of their vehicles on interurban roads.
