What does HOV stand for?

• A. Heavy Occupancy Vehicle
• B. High Occupancy Vehicle
• C. High Official Vehicle
• D. High Occupant Vehicle

Answer: (B)

HOV stands for High Occupancy Vehicle. This term describes a vehicle carrying more than one person and is used for lanes and rules that encourage carpooling to ease congestion. The key idea is occupancy—the number of people in the vehicle—not the vehicle’s weight or any official status. In most places, the threshold is two or more occupants, though some programs require three for certain lanes. Buses and vanpools often count toward occupancy as well. The other options don’t fit because they don’t convey the standard traffic meaning of multiple people in a vehicle, and they aren’t the term used in carpool and lane-designation rules.