A single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) is a privately operated
vehicle
A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles ( motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles ( trains, trams ...
whose only occupant is the driver. The drivers of SOVs use their vehicles primarily for personal travel, daily commuting and for running errands. The types of vehicles include, but are not limited to,
sport utility vehicles (SUVs),
light-duty trucks, and any combination thereof, along with all the various van and car sizes, but would generally be taken to exclude
human-powered vehicles such as bicycles. This term is used by
transportation engineers
Transportation engineering or transport engineering is the application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for t ...
and
planners. SOVs contrast with
high-occupancy vehicles (HOV), which have two or more occupants.
[National Research Council (U.S.). Special Report - Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 1974.] Keep in mind that SOV in this context refers to a status and usage, not the vehicle type.
See also
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Carpool
References
Driving
Road traffic management
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