Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are around the corner, leaving UF officials worried that some students might not make it back to school after the holidays.
An average of about 20 UF students die each calendar year, said Gene Zdziarski, UF dean of students.
Most of those deaths occur in traffic accidents when students commute to or from school for holiday breaks, Zdziarski said.
Twenty-six UF students have died so far this year, a circumstance he called "very unusual."
Out of the 26 deaths, 11 of them were due to car accidents.
"We're definitely concerned about the whole situation," he said. "This is not something you can predict. There isn't any real understanding of why."
Ten of those deaths occurred in the 12 weeks since this semester began.
Steve Orlando, UF spokesman, said there's no way to explain the large number of deaths in such a short period of time.
"What can you do?" Orlando asked. "Tell people to be careful, I guess."
Zdziarski said he doesn't want to anticipate more deaths in the last month of fall, but based on historical data, holiday traveling is bound to bring more fatalities.
Out of 110 student deaths from 2000 to 2005, 35 were caused by car, motorcycle or bicycle accidents, UF records show.
Fifty-one of the deaths during those years occurred out of town.
Zdziarski said UF tries to encourage students to practice personal safety through programs such as GatorWell Health Promotion Services.
But UF can only go so far, Zdziarski said.
"The big message is, be safe," he said. "Think before you act."
Paul Schauble, a UF staff psychologist, said students' deaths are particularly traumatic for other students because they may have not yet experienced any personal tragedies in their own lives.
"Most students are at an age where they're becoming aware of their parents' and grandparents' mortality," Schauble said. "It brings it home to them."
Zdziarski said he knows there's not much UF can do to prevent accidents while students are away from campus. He said he hopes students make safety a priority.
"We want them back at school," he said.
