THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN AWARENESS PROGRAM IN ENHANCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAFFIC SAFETY STANDARDS AMONG SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS (A Quasi-Experimental Applied Study at Asim bin Omar bin Al-Khattab School in the Wilayat of Bousher)

This study falls under the category of applied research and adopts a quasi-experimental design, specifically the one-group pretest-posttest model. It aimed to assess the impact of an awareness-based training program on school bus drivers at Asim bin Omar bin Al-Khattab School in the Wilayat of Bousher, by examining changes in their practices related to implementing traffic safety standards. The study emerged from an urgent field need, as several reports point to a significant gap between expected and actual safety practices in the school transportation environment. The study sample consisted of 10 school bus drivers. A structured observation checklist was used as the main data collection tool. The drivers were observed before the intervention and then exposed to a training program covering three main areas: the fundamentals of selecting a school bus driver, principles of defensive driving, and practical training in preventive driving techniques. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), applying means, standard deviations, and the Wilcoxon signedrank test. Results indicated statistically significant improvements (at α ≤ 0.05) in the drivers' safe driving behaviors in the posttest phase, demonstrating the effectiveness of the training program. However, no statistically significant improvement was observed in the technical safety standards of the buses, which was attributed to the limited authority of drivers and the lack of contractual provisions mandating technical upgrades by vehicle owners. The study recommends mandatory participation of all school bus drivers in specialized training programs on preventive driving, equipping school buses with technical features that meet international safety standards, and the development of a comprehensive school transport safety protocol to enhance service quality and reduce potential risks.