As the forgiving roadside concept supports a roadside design in which the serious consequences of run-off-the-road incidents are reduced, roadside design is an essential part of the transportation design process. There are generally five options from which to choose a safe design. In order of preference, these are: remove the obstacle or redesign it so it can be traversed safely; relocate the obstacle to a point where it is less likely to be struck; reduce impact severity by using an appropriate breakaway device; or shield the obstacle with a guardrail and/or crash cushion. Delineate the obstacle if the above alternatives cannot be achieved.
