NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Transportation held a press conference Monday to announce a crackdown on dangerous driving during the holidays.
Officials said Monday that there have been 117 deaths so far in 2019—up from 115 in 2018. Seven people were killed on city streets last week alone.
Another 28 cyclists have died in 2019, compared to 10 in 2018.
The DOT says the spike in deaths is likely linked to less daylight during the fall and winter days. The last week of the year is generally among the deadliest for pedestrians.
Four pedestrian were killed within 24 hours last week. Andreas Stylianou, 57, was killed in Park Slope on Friday after he was hit by a truck and two cars. Earlier on Friday morning, another man was struck and killed by a private sanitation truck in Hell's Kitchen. On Thursday afternoon, 85-year-old Brendan Gill was struck and killed by a box truck in Sunset Park. Less than an hour later, 26-year-old Katherine Miller was struck and killed by a box truck in SoHo.
NYPD transportation Chief William Morris said one person has been arrested in the Hell's Kitchen crash and the others are under investigation.
Morris said fatal crashes are up about 8 percent this year and urges those that get behind the wheel to "drive safely".
The NYPD stepped up police enforcement over the weekend following the deaths.