Can the ETC card be removed when not in use?

[OTeagan]

When the ETC is not needed, users can remove the ETC card. Especially for ETC cards with financial functions, such as those enabled with UnionPay QuickPass and small-amount quick payment features, it is advisable to remove them after use to avoid the risk of being fraudulently charged. ETC is an electronic toll collection system, also known as an automatic road charging system. It is specifically designed for toll roads, commonly found on highways, toll bridges or tunnels, and certain urban road sections to alleviate traffic congestion. ETC charging principle: Highways have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's on-board electronic tag (installed on the windshield) and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at toll stations, the system uses computer networking technology to settle payments with banks in the background. This allows vehicles to pay tolls without stopping at toll booths, operating 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 toll stations without stopping, thereby lowering pollution; Cost-saving: Reduces vehicle wear and fuel consumption by minimizing frequent starts and stops; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC systems faster, more advanced, and 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 will be basically interoperable in key city clusters, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also set a target in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators to "achieve a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage rates for 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 directions, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage.