In countries like Spain, France or the United States there is a new road sign, which has not yet arrived in Italy: it is a white rhombus on blue backgroundused to indicate the lanes roads reserved for the so-called HOV vehicles (High-Occupancy Vehicle), that is, those who carry more passengers or which have a reduced environmental impact.
This type of signage, in fact, has already been used for some time in other European countries: in France, for example, since March 2025 the Paris ring road has hosted a lane for “high occupancy” vehicles. The topic, however, has been rekindled in the last few hours after the Spain he introduced more restrictive requirements for the use of these roadways, with fines of up to 200 euros for violators.
In Italy, however, the introduction of these new road signs – and the subsequent creation of preferential lanes – could encourage the carpooling corporatewhich in the last 2 years has already recorded a growth of 113%.
What does the new road sign with a white diamond mean and what is it for
As anticipated, the new road sign consists of a white rhombus frequently placed on one blue backgroundvisible in the image below. Its presence along the roads serves to indicate the preferential lanes reserved for “high occupancy” vehicles (High-Occupancy Vehicles) like, for example, taxis, public transport as busbut also car private individuals carrying on board more people (generally at least 2, including the driver).
In Spain these preferential lanes have been introduced in some of the most important road arteries in the country, from the Madrid-Valencia motorway to sections of freeway in Seville, Malaga or Granada. Since 2026, however, the Spanish Government has tightened the requirements for the use of these carriageways – always marked with the appropriate sign – no longer allowing access to electric vehicles, unless they transport more people, and increasing the penalties for improper use, with fines which will now arrive up to 200 euros.
In Italy the new cartel could encourage carpooling, which is already growing
At the moment, the Highway Code does not rule in any way the presence of this new road signs: nevertheless, given the greater diffusion in neighboring countries, it is possible that in the coming years the sign is also installed along Italian roads, with the consequent formation of lanes reserved exclusively for vehicles carrying multiple passengers.
This initiative, in fact, could incentivize further the carpooling (i.e. the sharing of private cars between several people who have to travel the same route, for example to go to work), which allows passengers to drastically reduce the time spent in traffic, but also to split the costs of petrol and any tolls.
Carpooling, among other things, is increasingly becoming a practice more widespread among Italian workers, as confirmed by the latest data from the National Observatory on Corporate Carpooling 2026. According to the report, in fact, in 2025, 795,335 car trips shared between colleagues: it is a 113% increase compared to 2023, which made it possible to avoid the issuance of 1,623,442 kg of CO2 during the last year and to generate an overall economic saving for passengers of almost 2.5 million euros.
These numbers also have a positive impact on traffic and queues, with 454,819 fewer cars on Italian roads: from this point of view, the regions the most advanced are Piedmont, Puglia, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Lazio.
