Lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles

**Road markings** can indicate that a lane is **reserved** or has **priority** for certain **users or vehicles**.

In this case, the lane shown is a **lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles (HOV)**.
This means that:

- Only vehicles carrying a **minimum number of occupants** may use it (for example, 2 or 3 people, as indicated on the additional signage).
- Its purpose is to **encourage car sharing** and **reduce congestion**.
- It is usually clearly indicated by **horizontal signs** (painted on the carriageway) and often by **vertical signs** that specify the conditions of use (number of occupants, times of use, types of authorised vehicles).