Free Flow

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A chilean TAG machine affixed to a windshield.

The Free Flow system (also known as Televía or TAG in Spanish-speaking countries), is an electronic deposit system used to pay for the passage of automobiles on toll roads. With TAG, cars need not stop nor even slow down for payment.

[edit] Features

The TAG system is no larger that a wallet and is extremely light. It is normally placed behind the rearview mirror of the car, but can also be installed in a more visible location on the windshield. With the electromagnetic system, the payment is made more easily and more rapid transit is possible.

This wireless system is at the vanguard of smart payment in tollways, especially in countries with appreciable economic power. Countries like Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, and Israel, among others, employ it in their highway systems both urban and rural.

Chile was the world's first country to run all payments through a single TAG system, as opposed to countries like Australia, where automobiles must carry two or even three TAG systems for each of the different highways. Presently they are used in four of the highways of Santiago de Chile, and some other highways currently under construction are set to employ it.

[edit] Free Flow payment system

The procedure for the colleciton of the toll is performed by installing "collection booths," which are no more than a frame erected over the path of the highway, with an electronic sensor suspended over each lane accompanied by cameras. As the automobile nears the frame, the cameras snap a picture of the license plate, the individual driver's TAG is detected by the sensor, and the payment is processed in a fraction of a second. At the moment the payment is processed, the TAG generates a characteristic whistle-like sound. The sound indicates that the transaction was successful and the toll has been charged; if the TAG is silent, the transaction did not occur and a ticket will be sent to the violator.