The classroom is brightly lit, the teachers are efficient and pleasant. And not a single one of the 24 kids, mostly teenagers, wants to be here. But they are here, for a very good reason: No choice was afforded them by their lawyers or the courts. All those here this night are speeders, caught exceeding the limit and, if convicted of the charges, looking at huge increases in their insurance and possible suspension of their licenses.

"Alive at 25," sponsored by the nonprofit National Safety Council, will give them a chance to avoid those particularly tough unpleasantries. If they complete the course, the courts might bargain a plea that will keep teens and their wheels together.

The offices and the classroom are in a nondescript building off Woman's Club Drive in Raleigh. The course is so named because the chances of someone dying in a car accident decrease dramatically at the age of 25.

The participants file in slowly, but most are on time. The boys are told to remove their caps. All are reminded to shut down their cell phones. Matt Thompson, who runs the program here (it's also in Charlotte), is an outgoing, pleasant former teacher. Jean Cooke, who'll run tonight's class, is an experienced instructor in this course, and in CPR courses. She's outgoing, friendly -- and no nonsense.

The objective of the four-hour course, which is taught after school hours and on weekends, is profoundly simple. "We want to keep these kids alive," Thompson says. He has a very sad book of clippings noting the various vehicle accidents that have killed teenagers and broken hundreds of hearts in the past few years.

The course begins with a video of the aftermath of an accident, follows offenders charged through courts, talks about consequences. Cooke offers sobering statistics: the leading cause of death among those 16-21 is car accidents; less important, of course, is that insurance premiums can go up 400 percent with some charges, and driver's licenses can be lost for a year.

The kids start to participate, and the discussion loosens up. They have partners, exchange information about their tickets. How fast they were going, charges, etc. Cooke knows her business -- when a youngster reels off a high rate of speed in a certain zone, she knows to ask him: "What other charges were filed?" She knows it's reckless driving.

"How many of you," she asks, "know someone who died in a car accident?" It is not a question anyone would want to ask, or answer. Things are very somber indeed. Then the kids talk about the pressures, drug and drink, that contribute to vehicle accidents. The discussion is frank, but not embarrassing.

"The typical teenager," Thompson says, "wants to talk about driving, about things they won't talk about with their parents. This gives them an outlet. And what we're trying to do is to say we're not gonna let you get ticket after ticket and have your lawyer get you off. Or pay it off. We're going to make you sit down and talk about this thing."

Going to the class can help them in court, but what they say doesn't leave the room. "If we're going to talk about drinking and driving," Thompson says, "we need to realize that there are teenagers out there who are drinking and driving and we can't sidestep it or ignore it. So we say, let's talk about it honestly."

Since the program expanded to Raleigh from Charlotte, it's gained much credibility with the courts, and attorneys. At the end of the four hours, youngsters are asked to offer their opinions in writing. Despite reluctance, even resentment, on the part of some for having had to attend, feedback can be encouraging. "They may act like that really don't want to be here," Thompson said, "but then when they talk about it, they'll say it made them think."

As the evening goes on, some kids fade a bit, but others talk. Once they become familiar with one another, they're more inclined to share stories. Jean Cooke will offer something now and then to ensure their attention: "More people," she tells them, "than are in this room die in traffic crashes every day" nationwide.

And the course tries to encourage the kids to resist temptations. "If you get in a situation where the driver's been drinking," Cooke says, "come up with an excuse. Get out. Save your life."

The course is the best $50 parents and their offspring can spend. But the program will also go to schools or companies, and will allow individuals who haven't been charged with traffic violations to attend for free. Do the kids want to do it? Of course not. But they should. Everybody should.