Pick up any newspaper and road accidents continue to find 'mentions' across the pages. In fact, today's papers highlight an accident that claimed the lives of seven members of a family due to a head-on collision between a jeep and a bus. The accident, which took place on the Jabalpur-Jaipur national highway, took place at 10 am.

So, is there a particular time that most accidents occur? Many of us would be under the impression that most accidents take place at night but here are some surprises based on 2012 data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways :

* 60% of the accidents took place during the day time and only 40% at night.

* The time when the most number of accidents happen is late afternoon between 15:00 and 18:00 hours (84,017) followed by 18:00 and 21:00. (see accompanying chart).

So, if you are planning to venture out in the afternoon, it's time to think again.

Source: Road Accidents In India 2012