Have you ever noticed a small red triangle on the back of some vehicles?

If you have, you might have wondered what it means, if anything, and if you haven´t, it would be worth looking out for them, because they are actually a sign which is intended to give drivers following the vehicle information which could make their decisions safer… So long as you understand the meaning!

Technically, the sign is known as a V-5, indicates that the vehicle displaying it cannot exceed 40 kilometres per hour.

This sign is for exclusive use on vehicles that are required not to exceed this speed; this sign cannot be installed on any other type of vehicle.

What does traffic sign V-5 tell you?

According to Royal Decree 1428/2003, the V-5 sign, or slow-moving vehicle sign, is used to signal vehicles that, for construction reasons, cannot travel at speeds greater than 40 kilometres per hour.

The decree states that this sign is installed on the rear of the vehicle and is optional for vehicles that are required to display the V-4 speed limit sign. The V-4 is perhaps easier to understand, as that is a black-bordered white sign displaying a figure which indicates the vehicle´s maximum speed.

The V-4 could be displayed for a variety of reasons, whereas the V-5 establishes that a vehicle cannot exceed a speed of 40 kilometres per hour due to its design.