How to prioritize safe route improvements

And as for prioritizing, there are a lot of factors to consider...danger factors (speed/volume/design), accident rate, current usage numbers, potential usage numbers [if crossings/roads were safe]), how the improvement fits in the larger network (if it's a broken link in an otherwise safe route), community demand/buy-in, available funding, etc. It's possible to "rate" hot spot areas on a variety of variables. Ultimately, it's up to our elected leaders to weigh the factors and make these decisions.