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DrivingLingo

Tema 16: vehicle controls and the horn in the DGT exam

Controls must be operable without taking your attention off the road, and the horn has a limited use: warning of danger, not venting about traffic.

Reviewed on 6 October 2026 · sources: BOE and DGT

This tema asks how a vehicle's controls must work and when you may use the horn.

  • Controls, indicators and warning lights must be identifiable, checkable and operable instantly without taking your attention off driving.
  • You must be able to operate them with your body in the normal driving position.
  • Every motor vehicle carries a device producing an acoustic signal that is continuous, uniform and of sufficient intensity.
  • Normal use of the horn is reserved for warning of a danger. Sounding it stridently or without regulatory cause is banned.
  • Outside built-up areas (poblado) you may also use it, without being strident, to signal that you will overtake. Sign R-310 ("acoustic warnings prohibited") reminds you of the general ban on sounding the horn, except to avoid an accident. It is not specific to hospitals.

Watch out: honking to vent about a traffic jam is exactly the unmotivated use the rule bans.

In DrivingLingo: see the traffic signs, tema 17 on visibility, glass and mirrors, tema 20 on brakes, steering and transmission and the full syllabus.

Source: RGV art. 11 (points 7 and 8); RGC art. 110.

Key rules of topic 16

Identifiable controls

A vehicle's controls, indicators and warning lights must be identifiable, checkable and operable instantly without taking your attention off driving.

  • You must be able to operate them with your body in the normal driving position.

Source: RGV art. 11, punto 8

The mandatory horn

Every motor vehicle must carry a device producing an acoustic signal that is continuous, uniform and of sufficient intensity.

  • Pedestrian-driven motor tillers are exempt.

Source: RGV art. 11, punto 7

When to sound the horn

Sounding the horn stridently or without regulatory cause is banned, and its normal use is reserved for warning of a danger.

  • Outside built-up areas you may also use it, without being strident, to signal your intention to overtake.
  • Where the sign for acoustic warnings prohibited (R-310) stands, you may sound the horn only to avoid an accident.

Source: RGC art. 110

Freedom of movement

The driver must keep their own freedom of movement, the field of vision they need, and permanent attention to driving.

  • This duty is the legal basis for banning audio headsets, earphones and handheld phone use at the wheel.

Source: RGC art. 18, apdo. 1

Learn the rule, then practise it

Study topic 16 step by step: the rule, its citation and exam-style questions.

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