CHAPTER
ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Vehicle
Registration in Nigeria began over 100 years ago and the records have been
essentially manual which in turn has not help to raise the efficiency of
general automotive services in recent years. Today, computer has been
discovered as a very efficient instrument, which has played a very significant
role in adequate management of information. Besides, it has played more roles
in country. However, computerization has helped in many areas of life and due
to vehicle owners, the thought of computerization of this operation becomes of
great important in order to wipe out the manual data processing system from
which many problem have originated. The problems, which have engulfed the
objectives of motor vehicles registration, are extensively discussed in this project
together with the new method that was innovated. This work is conducted towards
the computerization of the various problems in processing data in order to
identify the various problems that are been encountered in the registration of
vehicles manually. This theory also compares the existing system with the new
system, which is exact, and a faster way of processing data and the problem
faced by customers when they are registering their vehicles. There are
different programs that can be written to develop such programs, PASCAL, JAVA.
VISUAL BASIC, and C++ etc. But I will be making use of PHP, Database (MySQL)
they are both working with Apache server (Xamp). The Software design used
Macromedia Dreamweaver, firework, flash, and switchmax. The World is
experiencing an information knowledge revolution that is fundamentally
transforming the way in which human activities are carried out. Government’s
worldwide are adopting e -government as a means of improving their services to
businesses and citizens, promoting economic and social development, and
enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations.
Computer
plays vital role in the development of any company it also saves some of its
complex problem that is been faced by man and processes voluminous data within
a short period of time or at an incredible speed. Recent emphasis on
information and data processing in most of our business has grown adversely as
in the case of motor vehicle license and plate registration. In as much as
motor vehicle registration has been in existent for ages now, the old system of
registration has been in adoption which did not play a significant role on
highway safety until the development of the new system of vehicle registration
where a reflective sheeting which is more visible to read even in the dark.
This new system of motor vehicle and plate number registration, which is the
main focus of this project, came into existent on the 19th March 1997 and
handled by the motor licensing officer. It was introduced to enforce strict
compliance to traffic rules and regulation as well as providing a proper data
as to the behavior of road users. The roles, which the introduction of computer
system will play in this function, will about more efficiency, effectiveness
and improve competence.
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Vehicle
Registration in Nigeria began over 100 years ago and the records have been
essentially manual which in turn has not help to raise the efficiency of
general automotive services in recent years. Motor licensing office Abuja only
focuses on vehicle registration and inspection, and not on other supporting
services such as vehicle tracking, learner’s driving permission, and drivers’
license management, monitoring of drivers and vehicles operations and
documentation of both accident and crime report.
Vehicle
registration in the city, state, and district offices burdened applicants by
requiring them to personally deliver the certified copy of resident’s
registration and other documents.
Vehicle
Registration used to involve manual recording of vehicle’s information which
ranges from cars to buses and later to trucks and heavy duty equipment on
ledgers and tracking other related information such as registration, road
worthiness test certificates, change of ownership, engine and chassis numbers;
and expiration of road license. This process has been extremely inefficient and
the recovery of the information was not possible once ledgers were damaged or
lost as it frequently occurs.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
These
are the problems that are being encountered in the manual system of assigning a
plate number to newly acquired vehicle in the department of vehicle licensing
and registration, (Licensing office Abuja). The limited factors listed below
have slowed realization of the good intention:
(i)
Participation of Unauthorized Officers: Unauthorized offices according
to my observation are involved in this work especially in the registration of
illegal vehicles which can encourage fraud.
(ii)
Wrong Charging of Fees: The officer in-charge is bound to charge a wrong
bill to vehicle owners, which may be as a result of underassessment or over
assessment of vehicles. This could be with motive to commit fraud or as a
result of mistake on the part of the officer at work.
(iii)
Wrong Sales Allocation: Staff under a particular state motor vehicle
licensing office indulges in registering of vehicles that does not belong to
their state.
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(iv)
Improper Accounting: There is the tendency of the cashier involved in
the handling of income generated to make mistake during this process, thus
having some measures of inaccuracy in the work.
(v)
There is difficulty at times in tracing a record/information cautioning a
vehicle owner due to improper information keeping as a result of carelessness
or volume in the size of record kept.
(vi)
Mental/Manual Labor: This involves the use of strength and Brain and the
body. The officer in-charge goes through mental labor because he has to sort
the records of the entire vehicle in his domain of jurisdiction. He suffers
from Manual labor because he has to write all the way.
(vii)
Excess Time Consumption: There is excessive time consumption
because the motor licensing officer has to write and enter the information of
the vehicle after the person whose vehicle is to be registered has paid a
prescribed amount of money to the licensing authority accompanied with duly
completed application, depending on the type of vehicle, write personal
information about the person whose vehicle is to be registered and the category
of vehicle whether commercial, privates, special purpose and so on, then your
plate
number
and vehicle license is prepared after a given period of time. When put
together, the time spent on all of these is much.
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
As
we have seen from the statement of the problems, the things that stand’s as
puzzle in the manual system of motor vehicle registration aims at introducing a
better system which is the computerized system which will contribute in
providing solution to the problems.
i.
To reduce the amount of time spent in registration of motor vehicle and
information for all the vehicle owners.
ii.
To ensure a very high level of accuracy during registration of certain vehicle
or category of vehicles that are prone to errors in the manual system.
iii.
To develop a system that will allow for the generation and assignment of an
infinite identification mark or number (that is, the vehicle plate number).
iv.
To replace the manual system of registration with a computerized system that
will make registration simple and easy for registration officer and vehicle
owner.
To
provide restriction of illegal access of this program will be limited therefore
password will be created for the application software. This password will just
be limited to the officer in charge of the work.
vi.
This also aims at giving an up-to-date report of the revenue generates from
vehicle registration within a defined period.
1.4
SCOPE OF STUDY
The
application of this study is a must for any country that wants to be
Information and Communication Technology inclined and ready to reduce the
vehicle crime rate and corruption in her system. The scope of this study should
be for Liaison Offices and organizations like (Motor licensing office Abuja)
that issue vehicle licenses and other vehicle registration documents.
1.5
LIMITATONS OF THE STUDY
In
as much as I have so many areas where one could have covered for a wider
generalization of result. Some factors have posed as an obstacle to this, and some
of these constraints are as follows:
i.
Finance:
This contributed in my project research since there was much money exhausted in
moving to and fro to gather facts for this work.
ii.
Time: As students where probably
involved in schoolwork like writing of assignment quizzes and other engagement,
thus there isn’t enough time to attend classes.
iii.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
iv.
Due to the constant rise in
technology, it is necessary to use computer to Process voluminous data within a
short period of time or at an incredible speed. This project is to help provide
efficiency, effectiveness and improve competence issuance of vehicle license,
plate number and other related activities. The importance of this study
includes:
v.
i. To expedite the efficiency of
principal licensing officer in the processing of vehicle registration
documents.
vi.
ii. To develop a method that will
allow easy storage and retrieval of vehicle and owner’s registration
information at any time in the future.
vii.
iii. To develop a highly accurate
method of generating and assigning plate numbers and how to interpret them.
viii.
iv. To determine the easiest and
fastest way to access vehicle owner’s registration information and missing
vehicles.
ix.
v. To enable security agencies find
missing vehicles.
To
develop an easy method for generating and assigning plate numbers or
identification mark.
1.7
ASSUMPTION OF THE STUDY
One
of the major assumptions made in this study work is that manual methods of
keeping records are ineffective, time wasting, prone to error and unsecured. It
is also assumed that computerized base systems will motivate the staff members
to work more effectively and efficiently when registering vehicles and other
activities. I also believe that the facts and observation gotten from the
office are all reliable for the study to be a very successful one.
1.8
DEFINITION OF TERMS/VARIABLES
The
following are some of the terminologies used in the project work. Vehicle Plate
Number: This is a metallic or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle for
official identification purposes. The number is made up of alphanumeric
characters or numbers. Vehicle Registration: is the process where we add a
vehicle’s details to the motor vehicle register and issue its registration
plates. You have to license your vehicle regularly at least annually and you
must display a current license label on your vehicle windscreen.
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Vehicle
Licensing: A regular fee paid to permit the use of one’s vehicle on the public
roads. The fee helps to pay for road projects and road safety programs. Your
vehicle must be both registered and licensed for you to legally drive it on the
road. Vehicle owner: is a person who has met up with the entire necessary
requirement for owning a vehicle and has the right to drive it on public roads.
Vehicle Registration and Enquiry Software (VehRES) System: This is application
software that is a customizable data collection system, which can be used by
law enforcement and motor vehicle agencies (i.e. Liaison Offices) nationwide.
The VehRES are compatible with both laptop and desktop personal computers (PC)
can be used to collect registered vehicle information for registration,
renewal, updating, correction and tracking. Licensing office: A place where
vehicle registration, licenses and other vehicle related documents are
performed. Licensing officers: Is a person who registers vehicles in the
licensing office. Vehicle: A mechanically propelled and wheeled object used for
conveyance. Computerization: Introduction of the use of computer in an
application
area
by writing a program that will suit the work.
ICT:
This is an acronym for Information and Communication Technology.
Federal
Road Safety Commission (FRSC): They serve as law
enforcement agency charged with responsibilities for, among others,
policymaking, organization and administration of road safety in Nigeria.
E-Government:
There is no one common definition of E – Government, although the term is
widely used. (Norris, 2005) view E – Government as a technology exercise, integrating
individual database and websites of government, while (Batschneider, 1990) view
it as a means of bringing the government closer to the common citizen through
provision of public services online.
Driver's
license or driving license is an official document,
which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a
motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. The laws relating to the
licensing of drivers vary between jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, a
license is issued after the recipient has passed a driving test, while in
others; a person acquires a license before beginning to drive. Different
categories of license often exist for different types of motor vehicles,
particularly large trucks and passenger vehicles. The difficulty of the driving
test varies considerably between jurisdictions, as do factors such as age and
the required level of practice
AutoReg
Vehicle license: Is the automated vehicle license
registration and renewal system, which is for all vehicle owners to register or
renew their vehicle license with the state government. It is renewed annually;
it shows the details of the vehicle owner and Vehicle details.