Can I still drive on highways without ETC?
1 Answers
It is possible to drive on highways without ETC. According to the regulations of the State Council, starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual lanes. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they need to be activated first. During free holiday periods, highways can still be used. For users who have already installed ETC, passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges. ETC charging principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on highways. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle-mounted electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, the purpose of paying tolls without stopping at toll stations is achieved. All of this is based on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Cost-saving: Reduces vehicle wear and fuel consumption by decreasing the frequency of starts and brakes, and users can also enjoy a 5% discount on tolls; Improved efficiency: The theoretical efficiency of ETC lanes can be increased by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster, more advanced, and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also set the goal of "achieving a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020" in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development plan. More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and increasing the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks in the future. There will also be exploration of deep integration between ETC systems and smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for car owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage.
