How is the 'Drive Four Days, Rest Four Days' Rule Calculated?
2 Answers
The 'Drive Four Days, Rest Four Days' rule is calculated based on calendar days. Even if you only drove for one day before leaving Guangzhou, you can continue driving if you return within the next four calendar days. However, if more than four days have passed, even if you only drove for one day during the previous four-day period, you must wait for another four-day interval before driving again. According to the notice on traffic management measures for non-Guangzhou registered medium and small passenger vehicles, starting from 00:00 on July 1, 2018, non-Guangzhou registered medium and small passenger vehicles (including temporary license plate vehicles) entering the following areas of the city (excluding expressways, South China Expressway, and Southeast-West Ring Urban Expressway) must not drive continuously for more than four days (calculated by calendar days). To re-enter, a minimum interval of four days is required.
My car has an out-of-town license plate, and I often encounter the 'Drive Four Days, Stop Four Days' rule when driving in Guangzhou. The calculation method is that after driving into the restricted zone, it counts as four consecutive driving days, including holidays, and then you must stop for four days. For example, if I drove in last Monday, I could continue driving until Thursday, but from Friday to next Monday, I would have to stop and not drive. I need to use a mobile calendar or city app to record the start date for reminders to avoid penalties on stop days. In daily life, I have to plan my commute or shopping carefully to avoid driving into the restricted zone on stop days, or else face a 200 yuan fine and penalty points. The rule aims to ease traffic congestion, especially during peak hours in the morning and evening, but I also need to pay attention to date changes that affect my daily travel.
