What are the four situations when the ETC barrier does not lift?
3 Answers
Damage to the vehicle's integrated ETC device. Malfunction of the toll station's ETC system. The bank card linked to the vehicle's ETC is on a blacklist. In this case, you need to use the manual lane to pass through the toll station or highway entrance. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. When the vehicle in front stops, to prevent issues with the front vehicle's ETC device or if it lacks an ETC device, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters to avoid automatic payment for the front vehicle. The ETC lane recognition speed is 20km/h. Driving too fast will prevent the system from reading the vehicle's device information, leading to payment failure. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, or if the ETC electronic tag falls off or becomes loose, will cause the electronic tag to fail. You can take it to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the highway service office for inspection. If the issue is not due to human interference, simply reactivating it will suffice. When using a debit card linked to ETC, insufficient balance will also cause payment failure. Follow the instructions of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane with cash or card payment. Excessive thickness of the car's windshield can cause poor signal reception. This is especially important for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after an accident or for those who have modified their front windshields.
As a driver with years of experience, I often encounter situations where the ETC lane barrier doesn't lift. After summarizing, there are mainly four reasons. First is ETC device malfunction, such as the onboard unit (OBU) running out of power or being damaged, possibly due to depleted batteries or aging from sun exposure. In this case, the system can't recognize vehicle information, so it's recommended to regularly check device status at service points. Second is ETC card issues - insufficient balance or expired card, which will be directly rejected by the toll station. I remind everyone to recharge promptly or check card validity, and I always check via mobile app before long trips. Third is lane equipment failure, where the toll station's antenna or control system malfunctions, sometimes occurring during debugging of newly installed lanes. In such cases, one must patiently switch to manual lanes or wait for staff assistance. Fourth is improper operation - driving too fast or not entering the dedicated lane. Vehicles must slow down below 20 km/h for detection, as the system can't respond if moving too quickly. These errors easily cause congestion and rear-end accidents, so I've learned to slow down in advance and observe lane signals to avoid unnecessary trouble.
From a technical perspective, I've found that ETC barrier failures often boil down to four key points. First, hardware malfunctions: improperly positioned onboard tags or signal-blocking window tint can cause RFID failure—solution is repositioning the tag in the windshield's upper right corner. Second, software issues: incorrect card data or encryption failures (like damaged chips or backend update conflicts) freeze barriers; regular card data synchronization helps. Third, infrastructure faults: inadequate power supply to toll station antennas or outdated receiver modules worsen in bad weather—switching lanes usually works. Fourth, user errors: exceeding speed limits or using non-ETC lanes triggers detection failures. Minor cases cause delays; severe ones incur fines. Now I monitor ETC status via mobile apps to ensure smooth trips.
