In the spring 2024 semester, there were 26 reported car crashes at Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus, according to public records.

As traffic increases, with students returning to campus this fall semester, experts share driving safety tips for the university community. 

One of them is Eric Dumbaugh, an FAU urban and regional planning professor with 25 years of experience addressing traffic-related deaths and injuries. He said he wouldn’t characterize the campus as “particularly hazardous” and that he’d be surprised if any injuries or fatalities occurred from the reported car crashes.

Most vehicle crashes on campus are minor and occur in parking lots — which the speed limit in parking lots is 10 mph — the FAU Police Department (FAUPD) stated in an email on April 8. 

Parking lot crashes are common, Dumbaugh said, due to the constant in-and-out movement and the limited visibility when backing out of a spot. This can result in rear-end collisions, often referred to as fender-benders, which occur when a forward-moving vehicle hits the back of another car — which can lead to injuries. 

Dumbaugh says that most car crashes can be preventable but there are various factors that come into play that can enact a crash. 

Michael Vater, a licensed Florida State attorney, says that distracted driving is a highly likely cause of crashes. He echoed that the most common crashes in Florida are fender-bender crashes and mentioned that he represented several FAU students in these types of car crash cases. 

“And what happens is the driver is distracted,  whether they’re using their phone or thinking about something else, or there’s some sort of maybe talking to a passenger and they don’t realize that the vehicle ahead of them has come to a stop,” Vater said.

Vater offers several driving tips for safety, such as using GPS for navigation, planning trips in advance and avoiding driving under the influence. He emphasizes being prepared by understanding insurance details for handling situations involving injuries and dealing with the potential legal consequences of a car crash. 

“I would also recommend that if you’re going to drive, just always drive very defensively… Think that the other drivers on the road are not as good as you and are going to cause an accident and always have your head on a swivel and be ready to be alert as to what’s happening around you,” Vater said. 

Dumbaugh points out that college students are often categorized to be more prone to car crashes than any other age group. He also highlights that men in this age group are twice as likely than women to be involved in such accidents, attributing this difference to variations in mental development.

According to him, this increased risk among younger men is due to their tendency to engage in riskier behavior, as their frontal lobe—critical for decision-making — doesn’t fully mature until their mid-twenties.

“The sort of judgment that one would exercise that would prevent them from engaging in hazardous behaviors cognitively, they haven’t reached that state of full maturity yet,” Dumbaugh said. “So there’s a tendency for more risk-tasting behavior, more hazardous driving behavior. As a result, they’re disproportionately likely to be intricate and they’re twice as likely as females statistically.”

Vater notes that another contributing factor is the amount of experience that a driver has on the road. He thinks FAU students who transfer from various states may not be familiar with local driving conditions in Boca Raton.

“A lot of the students at FAU may not be used to understanding the Florida specific driving roles and regulations, as well as understanding the population density in Boca Raton,” Vater said.

The records, ranging from January 1 to April 2, show that the roadway with the highest number of crashes was 777 Glades Road, with a total of four car crashes. 

Dumbaugh emphasizes separating public and university roads when referring to car crashes, especially in the case of Glades Road. He states that it is a road with high travel speeds and multiple turn lanes.

“There’s a lot going on on Glades Road that results in things that we know can lead to crashes,” Dumbaugh said.  

The roadway of North University Dr has three crashes. Parking garage one, Lot 7, NW 20th St and St Lucie Ave South has two crashes. 

Each of the following has a count of one crash: FAU Blvd, East University, 3771 FAU Blvd, Brevard Ct, Lot 27, Lot 92, Lot 102/Parliament Hall, Tox Oxley Athletic Center, Volusia St and Parking Lots 14 and 35. 

According to FAUPD in the email, there is “no texting and driving, it’s the law-FSS 316.305,” and everyone must follow the posted speed limits. 

FAUPD states that message boards have been posted in high-traffic areas to remind students, staff and visitors of the speed limit, as FAU follows all guidelines regarding traffic signage from the Florida Department of Transportation. 

Michael Cook is a News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].