What to Do If Your ETC Is Illegally Used on the Highway?

[JamesLynn]

Here are the steps to handle the situation when your ETC is illegally used on the highway: 1. If your ETC is illegally used when entering the highway, you can go to the manual lane and swipe your ETC card. This will overwrite the previous record and prevent double charging. 2. If your ETC is illegally used when exiting the highway, you need to contact the toll station staff and use the manual lane. The vehicle that evaded the toll will be tracked through surveillance and penalized accordingly. Precautions for using ETC: 1. The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. To prevent illegal use, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters from the vehicle in front when it stops. 2. The recognition speed for ETC lanes is below 30km/h. To ensure successful reading of your vehicle's device information, keep your speed below 20km/h. If the fee deduction fails due to excessive speed, you can reverse and try again. If the exit barrier still doesn't lift, you can use the MTC manual lane and pay with cash or by swiping a card.

[Jared]

Last time on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway, I experienced ETC fraud, and it felt utterly frustrating. I was slowing down to pass through the toll gate when a van behind me suddenly cut in front of my car, slipping through as the barrier lifted. I quickly memorized its license plate, Hu JXXXXX, and immediately reported the incident to the toll station staff wearing reflective vests. The staff used a walkie-talkie to notify the exit for interception and had me document the incident in a logbook. The next day, I called the ETC customer service at 95022 to file a complaint, providing the time, location, and the other vehicle's license plate. After verifying the footage from their backend, they refunded the incorrectly charged amount. Now, when approaching toll stations, I deliberately keep a distance of about seven or eight meters from the car in front and constantly watch for queue-jumpers in the rearview mirror.

[LaBrooke]

As a veteran long-haul truck driver, I encounter ETC toll evasion two to three times per month on average. The most annoying situation is when passenger cars force their way from the emergency lane to cut in and snatch the barrier. If you discover toll evasion, never chase the vehicle or get out to argue. Immediately turn on hazard lights, pull over, and use your phone to photograph the offender's license plate. The key is to find uniformed staff to fill out the "ETC Abnormal Passage Registration Form" and remember to get the receipt number. If you find excessive deductions from your card, call your provincial ETC service hotline (like Zhejiang's 96369), report the license plate number and time period to verify transaction records. I recommend truck drivers install a dashcam facing the windshield specifically for recording ETC lanes.

[AuroraLynn]

Last week, while dropping my kid off at school via the highway, my ETC got swiped, which was really frustrating. It happened at the Sutong Bridge toll station. The car in front suddenly braked hard, and a Tesla behind me cut in front and dashed through the toll gate. I immediately had my wife report it using the 12123 app, uploading the dashcam footage under the 'highway violations' section. Later, the traffic police called us to confirm, and the other driver was penalized with 6 points deducted and a 200 yuan fine. Now, when passing through ETC, I pay extra attention to three things: maintaining a distance of over 10 meters, turning off the radio to listen for the sound of the barrier lifting and lowering, and removing the ETC card to use the manual lane—even though it means longer queues, it’s more peace of mind. After getting your ETC swiped, three things are a must: screenshot the deduction message, call 122 to report, and visit an ETC service point within 30 days to dispute the transaction.

[DelViolet]

As a newbie who just got the car, I was really panicked when encountering ETC fraud for the first time. On the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, that guy suddenly changed lanes and brushed against my rearview mirror to cut in. I foolishly kept driving, only to find extra deductions when checking the bill at home. I recommend everyone to enable the mini-program notification feature of WeChat ETC Assistant – it instantly pops up a notification upon successful deduction. If you spot any irregularities, immediately use the 'Complaint' option, and the system will automatically locate the toll station. Remember to keep the ETC device serial number (that small metal piece on the back of the device) – it’s more effective than the license plate number when filing a complaint. I learned my lesson later: slow down to 5 km/h within 20 meters of the barrier, wait until it fully lowers, and then start moving.

[DelTravis]

I often drive on highways as a ride-hailing driver, and I've become numb to ETC toll evaders. Once at Zhengzhou East Station, three cars consecutively evaded tolls using my ETC, which infuriated me so much that I directly complained to the national transportation service hotline 12328. The staff taught me to use ETC invoices for rights protection: issue electronic invoices on the PiaoGen app, where abnormal orders will display unfamiliar license plate numbers. Then, send the invoice and the other party's license plate as a collage to 95022, and a refund is guaranteed within three days. Now, I've added two layers of protection to my car: I placed the ETC device on the black dotted area of the front windshield to reduce signal radiation range, and I hung a small convex mirror on the rearview mirror inside the windshield to expand my field of vision. If I encounter seasoned toll evaders, I directly ask the toll station staff to use wheel stoppers to intercept them.