What vehicles are prohibited by this road sign?

Explanation

The movement of motor vehicles.

The sign is a circle with a red border and the image of a car in the middle. The red border places it in the group of prohibitory signs, and in this sign system the image of a car is the symbol of the whole family of motor vehicles — not only the shape actually drawn. That is, motorcycles, vans, lorries and buses are covered by the same prohibition.

This distinction is the core of the question. The designer of a sign has to draw one symbol, and the simplest and best-known symbol for a motor vehicle is a passenger car. If the prohibition were meant to be limited to one particular class, there is a separate sign bearing that class; such as the signs that specifically prohibit lorries or motorcycles.

From a safety point of view, this sign is usually posted where the space was not designed for motorised traffic at all: a park area, a walking route, a protected zone or a narrow passage that cannot bear motorised loading. In such spaces a pedestrian does not expect to meet a motor vehicle and does not display the usual caution of a roadside; the entry of any motor vehicle — car or motorcycle — creates the same danger. So it would make no sense for the prohibition to cover cars alone.

The rule to memorise: the image on the sign is an "example", not a "closed list".

• "Only automobiles" narrows the scope of the prohibition without cause; if that were right, a motorcycle could enter freely and the whole purpose of the sign would be lost. • "Only passenger cars" is narrower still than the previous option and relies purely on the outward shape of the image, whereas the image represents the whole class of motor vehicles.

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