Can I still drive on the highway without ETC?
1 Answers
It is possible to drive on the highway 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 channels. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used immediately on the highway; they must 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 Deduction Principles: There will be one or more ETC lanes on highways. Through microwave short-range communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, coupled with computer networking technology for backend bank settlements, vehicles can pay tolls without stopping at toll stations. This is based on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues; Green and eco-friendly: Reduces noise and exhaust emissions by allowing vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping; Cost-saving: Reduces vehicle wear and tear and fuel consumption by minimizing frequent starts and stops. Users also enjoy a 5% discount on tolls; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase throughput efficiency 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 explicitly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, intercity transportation cards should be widely interoperable in key city clusters, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC should significantly increase." The plan also set a target of "achieving a 50% ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles by 2020" in its main indicators for comprehensive transportation development. Future possibilities: Beyond improving the convenience of ETC installation and increasing its usage rate among passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC adoption for trucks. Future developments will explore deeper integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and other smart transportation initiatives, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage.
