ROAD TRAFFIC OFFENCE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

ABSTRACT
This work is concerned with road traffic offence information management in Nigeria. It focused on trends in road traffic offences information and carried out a critical review of current information and communication and technology compliance state of FRSC with a view to identifying its defects in road traffic offence information management. A system to correct road traffic offence information management failure as identified in the existing system was then proposed. Road traffic offence records and details of current safety measures obtained from FRSC and online in addition to research works, provided the basic data for the study. The system was designed using the object OOAD methodology and implemented using rapid Php IDE on a Windows 7 system, using PHP, HTML,CSS and mySQL technologies and Apache server as the application server. The result showed the high rate of road traffic offence as a result of poor road traffic offence information management and failure to improve on the existing road traffic information management.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1     Background of Study
Nigeria ranked as the country with the second largest road network in Africa in 2011.It population density which varies in rural and urban areas (approximately 51.1% and 48.3% respectively) translates to a population-road ratio of 860 persons per square kilometres showing intense traffic pressure on the available road network [1].This pressure contributes to the high road traffic offence mishap in the country. In Nigeria, road transport is the most commonly used by the majority of citizen, as the easiest option in moving goods and travellers. Despite the important role played by road transport, the sector has encountered a number of challenges emanating from poor road traffic offences information management, resulting to incessant road accidents. Road accidents, resulting from careless driving, over-speeding and other road traffic offences have resulted to numerous consequences including deaths, injuries, disabilities and loss of properties, all of which accelerate to poverty in the country. The death of the most productive member exerts a devastating impact to the families, pushing many into poverty with long lasting effect to their children and their community at large [2]. The poor road offence information management situation in Nigeria has reached such an alarming proportion even to the point of sheer frustration and near helplessness. While many developing and developed countries have made concerted efforts to reduce road traffic offence through the adoption of improved management information technology, Nigeria seems to be lagging behind.
Global trends in road transportation have shown that efficient and safe transportation management models are becoming highly dependent on Information and Communications Technologies[3].There is need for technological interventions in reducing road offences and its consequences, road accidents. Road safety is a global concern not only for public health and injury prevention but also to improve efficiency in road traffic management[3].ICTs’ adoption in road traffic offence information management operations will help to achieve the ambition of drastic reduction in road traffic offences and road accidents prevalent in Nigeria.

• Statement of Problem

The way and manner motorists use the roads leave much to be desired. Vehicle drivers take delight in driving on wrong lanes and even abuse the right of way rules, thereby creating conflict in the use of traffic, course delay and sometimes accident. This has lead to enormous road traffic offence on our roads particularly in the cities. This is attributable to poor road traffic offence management. Improved computerized Management Information Systems is the fundamental and the bedrock for increase in Information Technology (IT). Because of the importance of the improved information technology (IT), measures are taken to evolve all sectors of the economy into improved Information Technology compliant. The road traffic offence information sector should not be left out, because an increase in the use of improved information management technology has greater advantages, where process of collecting, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of road traffic offence information for the purposes of planning, controlling, coordinating and decision making are not in tone with times. The existing system of road traffic offence gives no room for pictorial identification of offenders. Hence wrong person could be accused. The system is decentralized making road traffic offence information manipulation and accessibility of the database difficult. Also the system has no room for pictorial diagram display of the offence committed, as well as the penalty of offence as an evidence to facilitate prosecution. Hence the offender often sees himself as being compelled to accept responsibility.

• Objective of Study

As Nigerian road safety agency, FRSC management embraces the use of computers and information technologies in transport infrastructure. As the development and implementation of improved technological systems continue, it is believed that intelligent transport system will provide an increase in capacity, management and productivity of traditional transport infrastructure as well as contribution to achieving of other goals such as improved management in road traffic offence.
This study seeks to design a system that can achieve the following objectives:

• Centralised road traffic offence information databanks where road traffic offence information can be easily accessed by all authorised user.
• Reduce error in offenders’ identification, as lots offenders escape offence due to wrong identification (pictorial identification) during and after documentation which makes prosecution of offenders’ difficulty.
• Displays a pictorial sketch or diagram of an offence committed as clear evidence to offenders’ crime. This can also be tendered in court during prosecution.
  • Significance of Study

Road traffic Information Management System provides road traffic information that is needed to manage road traffic organizations efficiently and effectively. Road traffic information management and the information it generates are generally considered essential components of prudent and reasonable business decisions. With the growth in information technology, the study offers numerous benefits to the Federal Road Safety Commission and other organisations that deal with road traffic offence information management. There are many reasons why a research on the road traffic offence information management system should be made at this time. The chief reasons being that:

• Road traffic offence information management system uses integrated database-stores all road traffic offence information in a single database. This enhances fast, timely and secured accessibility and sharing of road traffic offence reports for the agency’s decision making
• Identifying road traffic offenders with their pictorial images will aid the agency in authentic documentation and avoid prosecuting wrong persons.
• Often times, Offenders deny ever committing a crime they are apprehended for due to absence of diagram sketch/pictorial display showing the crime committed. Displaying offender crime for the offender to see enhance the agency’s credibility and makes FRSC road traffic information reports reliable.

1.5     Scope of the Study
The study shall concentrate on importance of information and communication technology to road traffic safety management discussions as well as research works on attempts to improve on road safety management will be reviewed. It shall examine the state of FRSC and then propose a system to arrest the identified lapses militating against road traffic offence information management in Nigeria.
 

• Definition of terms

Terms are contextual. Words have the tendency to derive their meanings within the context of their use. This section of the chapter is devoted to the definition of road traffic computer terms used in this dissertation. This is important because road traffic information management terms are defined differently by different researchers, so specific definition of the terms as they apply to this study is therefore necessary to enable the readers to fully understand the meaning of the study and its proper significance.
Road Traffic Offence
This phrase refers to any act that causes or liable to cause violation of road traffic rules and regulations. Road traffic offence is an action taken or action not taken that violates road safety rules and regulation. For instance not reporting a road traffic accident is a road traffic offence.
 Information Technology
This term also called information system refers to a set of interrelated components that work together to collect, retrieve, process, store and disseminate information for the purpose of facilitating planning, control, co-ordinating and decision making. It usually includes hardware, software, people, communication systems, and data [4].
Information and Communication Technology
This refers to the fusion of Telecommunications, Electronics and Computer Information Systems used to retrieve, analyze, store, process, transmit, secure and intelligently interpret digital data either in storage or in transit [5]
Intelligent Transport Systems
This refers to wide area of information based on wireless technology combined into infrastructure of transport system and the vehicle itself, these systems help in controlling and managing of traffic flows, reducing of traffic, finding alternative routes, saving of the environment as well as saving time [6].