**2.3 Opto-electronic entry**

An opto-electronic interface (peripheral) is connected to a computer application working with vehicle registration, which ultimately makes an electronic entry of the

<sup>2</sup> COC – Certificate of Conformity

#### *Impact of Digital Vehicle Identification Errors on Critical Information Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107888*

VIN without the need to use a keyboard. The interface can be a digital camera with special software that converts the visual (image) form of the VIN into an electronic, text form; a 2D or 3D code scanner or an OCR reader to extract the text content from the vehicle document. The camera or scanners can be used to capture the VIN from the homologation or data plates of the vehicle, from the VIN located under the windscreen or from the VIN physically stamped into the vehicle body.

This procedure of VIN acquisition guarantees a high-quality VIN. Unintentional errors in the VIN due to human fatigue, inattention, and inability to read or write correctly are excluded in this case. However, deliberate errors cannot be completely excluded, where a person deliberately makes a VIN using opto-electronic peripherals from another document, vehicle, etc. In order to exclude this type of error, a series of additional photographs are taken of the overall object from which the details were taken.

### *2.3.1 Digital entry from the vehicle control units*

The VIN is transferred from the vehicle control unit, using a standardized OBD II interface, directly to the vehicle registration application, completely automatically, excluding any human factor. The human role is only to connect the connector to the vehicle interface at a standardized location in the driver's workstation area [23]. The data transfer is usually implemented wirelessly [24, 25].

This procedure eliminates both intentional and unintentional human errors. There are currently on average over 80 electronic control units (ECUs) in a modern vehicle (*Electronic Control Unit*). Many of these contain a digital VIN or other identifier [26, 27]. In addition, differences in VIN values may reveal unauthorized fitting (replacement) of major vehicle components [28], which may even come from illegal activities—stolen or scrapped vehicles, etc. [29, 30].

#### **2.4 Control mechanisms for verifying the VIN reality and correctness**

The basic task when entering a VIN into a computer application is to ensure it features no errors, i.e. its necessary data quality. This is due to the fact that the VIN is the basic identifier of the vehicle and also the linking, primary key among various databases.

Verification mechanisms for checking the reality and correctness (error-free) may or may not be used in practice. It is up to the responsibility and knowledge of the owner of the vehicle registration system whether the checking mechanisms are implemented and whether they insist on their application in daily practice without any exceptions. We are talking about an indirect, subjective factor influencing the final quality of VINs in information systems.

The most important vehicle register, which also serves as a reference for other information systems and related processes, is the national vehicle register. This register exists in every country and is usually under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport (or other similar institution), exceptionally under the Ministry of the Interior. As this is the national reference register from which information on the vehicle (its owners, operators, technical condition, etc.) is taken, the quality of the VIN must be absolutely perfect.

Before its actual entry, the VIN can be entered into the registry database, and a number of logical checks can be carried out automatically to confirm that the registered vehicle is in order – not stolen, not searched for, etc.

In the EU countries, when entering a VIN in the national vehicle register, information is checked in particular in:


Searching for a vehicle via its VIN in police records has one basic specificity that we must always keep in mind: the fact that we cannot find the vehicle we are looking for in police records (national and international) on the basis of its VIN does not mean that the vehicle is OK! We must take these facts into account:


#### **Figure 5.**

*Basic principle of reading the VIN from the vehicle and subsequent control mechanisms for verifying the reality and correctness (error-free) of the VIN in various information systems (VINref1 – VINref4). Source: Roman Rak.*

about a stolen vehicle among any national and international search records will not take place in time.


In all of the aforementioned cases, a query to police information systems results in the erroneous information that the vehicle is not searched for and has not been stolen.
