About 27,875 people in the U.S. died in vehicle crashes during the first nine months of 2016, up about 8% compared to the same period in 2015, according to preliminary estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The third quarter of 2016 represented the eighth straight quarter with increases in crash fatalities, as compared to the corresponding quarters in the previous years. NHTSA published a summary of the latest statistical projections in a report from the agency’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis. Statistical estimates will be further refined as more data becomes available, and an update is scheduled for late fall. Estimates for the fourth quarter of 2016 are due in late March.

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is continuing to gather and finalize data on crash fatalities for 2015 and 2016 using information from police crash reports and other sources,” the agency noted in the report. “It is too soon to attribute contributing factors or potential implications of any changes in deaths on our roadways.”

All 10 NHTSA-designated regions of the country saw increases in road fatalities from January through September of 2016, as compared to totals during the same months in 2015. The New England region that includes Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island saw the biggest jump — 20%. The southern region that includes Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida experienced a 15% increase.

The region that saw the smallest increase in road fatalities — 1% — encompasses Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota.

To view the report, click here.