Fatal traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians and cyclists occur most frequently between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., a National Police Agency study has found. The study found between January and June the number of people aged 65 or over who died in traffic accidents rose 12 from a year earlier to 1,006, according to the NPA. Of the total, 462 were involved in accidents while walking, 286 were in cars, and 175 were riding bicycles. Looking closely at the 637 pedestrians and cyclists, the agency found 224 people, or 35.2 percent, were involved in an accident between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. The 5-9 p.m. figures for the elderly were much higher than readings for any other age group and time slot, the NPA said, adding the accident death rate in the same evening hours came to 20.1 percent for pedestrians and cyclists under the age of 65. In a bid to help prevent traffic accidents in the early evening, police are recommending the use of reflective materials, given the fact that only 1.4 percent of elderly pedestrians killed in accidents at night were wearing light-reflecting items or accessories. Meanwhile, the death toll from traffic accidents across Japan during the first half of this year decreased 32 to 1,893, the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1956, the NPA said.