2. What Types of Accidents Are Linked with the Time of Sunset?
  The dusk and time of sunset change with the months and seasons. If the peak hours of traffic accidents shift in tandem with this change, it may be concluded that the dusk and time of sunset are factors that can trigger accidents.
  Table 1 shows the number of accidents (involving casualties) per hour during the evening hours from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  The numbers shown are those of all accidents that resulted in human casualties (more than 90% of which are minor injuries) and that of fatal accidents. Figures in outline typeface indicate the peak in each month.
Table 1. Number of Accidents by Month and by Hour (outline typeface indicates the peak figure during the month) Total of 2001-2004
  Table 1 shows that the number of all accidents causing casualties is concentrated between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., regardless of the month, and so is not linked to the seasonal change in the time of sunset.
  It is clearly due to the fact that people move around during these hours. Fatal accidents, on the other hand, peak around sunset regardless of what time it occurs. The statistic implies that the fatal types of accidents tend to occur around sunset.

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Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA)