ELLSWORTH – As state officials, city leaders and developers discuss ways to improve traffic congestion in Ellsworth, Maine Department of Transportation data about motor vehicle accidents along High Street indicate that congestion may play a role in crashes along the thoroughfare.

More than 27,000 cars pass on High Street daily, with that number increasing to 40,000 in the summer months.

There have been 764 accidents involving 1,553 vehicles on High Street over the past five years, from January 1998 through December 2002. The data apply to all of High Street and Route 3 between the Main Street intersection and the Trenton town line.

. A total of 456 were rear-end accidents.

. A total of 261 accidents involved cars moving in different directions through intersections.

. None of the 764 accidents has been fatal.

. The greatest number of accidents occurred in July and August, with 101 accidents in July and 113 accidents in August.

. The greatest number of accidents, 148, occurred on Fridays. Most of the accidents, 483, occurred in the middle part of the day, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

. Most accidents happened at the base of Beckwith Hill. There were 70 accidents along this segment of High Street, and 58 accidents farther south between Short Street and the Route 3 intersection with Myrick Street.

Of the 1,553 vehicles involved in all of the accidents, the drivers of 753 of the vehicles committed “no improper driving,” according to the data.

Nearly 400 other drivers involved in accidents were not paying proper attention, and 134 failed to yield the right of way.