Does the H in HOV stand for Hell?

I'm not a fan of the HOV lane. First of all, I am always driving alone so can't use it, but I'm always scared there will be an accident. And then what do you do? I know those barriers can be driven through, but that seems bad for the car. So you just back the hell up? I accidentally found myself driving (illegally) in the HOV lane last weekend, and it was the exact nightmare I envisioned - I couldn't get out! I had to drive like 20 miles out of the way because I was too afraid to drive over the barriers and there was no exit! Total blonde moment. And total disaster.