Initial location of potential treatment sites might be accomplished using programs that states currently use to identify hazardous sections of roads. These could be modified to focus on ROR crashes. These initial candidates might be further examined by comparing ROR rates at these sites with overall ROR rates on similar highway classes (e.g., two-lane rural roads). Care must be taken to avoid selection bias resulting from regression to the mean.

Since the ROR crashes being targeted here are those occurring on "problem" roadsides, further office-based examination of potential sites might then be accomplished by review of agency photologs or videologs for these sites. Lastly, since the final decision concerning treatment alternatives and final implementation should be based upon cost effectiveness, the ROADSIDE or RSAP program could be used to examine the benefits and costs of alternatives. A study of sideslope flattening in Washington State (Allaire, et al., 1996) concluded that the use of benefit-cost analyses of roadside safety improvements should be included in all types of highway construction projects to better identify how best to use roadside safety funds.

Other innovative targeting schemes could be utilized if an agency has some form of roadside inventory or roadside hardware inventory. In this case, the inventory data could either be used alone or combined with the crash data to target treatment locations. For example, if an inventory of guardrail terminals exists or can be collected from "windshield surveys" or photo/videologs, an agency could target terminal upgrading efforts to designs known to have problems if installed improperly (e.g., BCT device). The state of Colorado has an inventory of certain classes of hardware, and has attempted to develop such procedures.