Broken down in Spain: what the first two minutes decide

Off the carriageway first, then the hazard lights

Get as far off the carriageway as you can and switch on the hazard lights. That is not just advice: article 130 of the Spanish traffic regulations requires them if the vehicle has them, plus side and marker lights where relevant.

The beacon goes on the roof, and you stay inside

Keep the V-16 in the glovebox, not the boot. You switch it on in seconds and place it through the window at the highest point of the car, normally the roof, where a magnet holds it. If the roof is out of reach, the device has to be fixable to the driver's door. It flashes 360 degrees for at least 30 minutes, is visible a kilometre away in good conditions, and sends your position to the DGT 3.0 platform every 100 seconds, from where it reaches other drivers' navigation systems.

Triangles no longer count, and nor does an old V-16

Spanish law has recognised only the connected V-16 since 1 January 2026. A beacon without connectivity stopped being valid that day, even if it was sold as a V-16. There is one exception: vehicles registered abroad and driving through Spain in international traffic may carry whatever their country of registration requires. Connectivity is included in the purchase price and the law requires at least twelve years of it with no further fees, so check the expiry date printed on the box and on the device, and check that the model is still approved – the DGT publishes the list and some approvals have now lapsed.

Get out or stay in? Article 130.3 decides

This is the part almost nobody knows. The regulation says that after an accident or breakdown the occupants should leave the vehicle provided there is a safe place off the carriageway, and must in any case get out on the side away from the traffic, without walking or standing on lanes or hard shoulders. It then adds that if traffic conditions do not allow them to get out safely, they stay inside with their seatbelts fastened. So if there is no safe place outside, inside with the belt on is the right place.

High-vis vest on before the door opens

Put the vest on while you are still sitting down. Putting it on outside means standing on the carriageway at the exact moment you cannot be seen. Once you are out, wait behind the crash barrier or away from the road – never in front of or behind the car.

Why this was changed at all

Dropping the triangles was not red tape. Setting them up means walking at least a hundred metres along the carriageway, with the risk of being hit and no guarantee they stay put. The beacon is switched on from inside and warns other drivers through their navigation systems, not only through their eyes.

And then roadside assistance

Once the car is marked and you are safe, call the assistance service on your policy. If you are not sure which number applies to you or what your policy covers on the road, send us a WhatsApp on 636 47 02 07 and we will look it up in your contract.