Preliminary 2017 figures suggest a slight decrease in the number of road deaths. Fewer traffic fatalities than in 2016 were recorded in 20 of 29 countries of the International Road Traffic Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD*) for which 2017 fatality data are available. Only five countries registered increases of 2% or more in the number of road road deaths compared to 2016. However, it is uncertain whether the long-term downward trend will continue, according to the Road Safety Annual Report 2018. After many years of continuous decline, the number of traffic fatalities rose by 1.6% in 2016, the last year with official and validated data, compared to 2015. Compared to 2014, the year with the lowest number of fatalities over the past three decades, the death toll was up 5.6%. While 13 countries saw a reduction, only 18 registered an increase or stagnating numbers in 2016 compared to 2015.