By Jessie Elder
The ticking of the clock echoed loudly as nearly 20 students sat in quiet anticipation, waiting for the heavily mustached man standing in the front of the room to give instructions.
The booming voice of Kyle Stauffer, the defensive driving instructor, told the students to begin filling out the packet he just handed them so they could get credit for attending.
Alisha Groo, an 18-year-old Utah Valley State College student majoring in business, immediately began jotting down her information in purple pen.
Like many others, Groo was in attendance at the recommendation of her insurance company, and to receive the benefit of having 50-points taken off her driving record.
The Utah Safety Council offers defensive driving classes every other Wednesday and Saturday at Utah Valley State College.
Since 1964, more than 50 million drivers worldwide have taken this course.
?No other driver improvement course has a higher rate of success in reducing the number and severity of collisions,? said Sarah Barrett, Utah Safety Council Marketing Coordinator.
A recent study conducted by the College of Lake County in Lake County, Ill. found that drivers who participated in the Defensive Driving course had 13 percent fewer negligent driving arrests and 9 percent fewer collisions than drivers who did not participate.
Most attendees go with the desire to eliminate 50-points from their driving record.
?Every ticket that you get has a certain amount of points that will be assessed to your record,? Barrett said. ?If you get too many points your license can be suspended or revoked. This class helps prevent an individual from going over their point limit.?
This class can be taken once every three years.
These classes are offered to drivers in the Provo and Orem area at the cost of $35.
This four-hour class focuses on accident prevention, driving confidence, awareness of hazards and general improvement of driving skills. It is also customized to fit the weather and road conditions of Utah.
?It just taught us a lot of facts,? Groo said. ?It?s been entertaining.?
The Utah Safety Council also offers Spanish defensive driving classes once a month in Murray.