Can you still drive on highways without ETC in 2020?
1 Answers
It is possible to drive on highways without ETC. According to the "Notice on Vigorously Promoting the Development and Application of ETC on Highways" issued by the State Council, vehicles without ETC in 2020 will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will remain at highway toll stations, and tolls must be paid manually. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used immediately on highways; 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 toll deduction principle: Highways will have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the onboard electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, the system achieves the goal of vehicles not needing to stop at toll stations to pay bridge and road fees. All of this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of installing ETC: Save time: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, as vehicles pass toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduce wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improve efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC more updated, faster, 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 will be 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: "By 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles will reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and increasing the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, the future will also promote ETC usage for trucks and explore deep integration between the ETC system and smart transportation directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination. This will provide car owners with comprehensive travel services, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC applications.
