Transportation officials were in the hot seat Wednesday as City Council members grilled them about pedestrian safety on Brooklyn and city streets.

Some councilors, along with the group Transportation Alternatives, argue the Department of Transportation needs to do more to protect pedestrians. The hearing comes after many publicized accidents, including one where a 4-year-old boy was killed in February while crossing 3rd Avenue and Baltic Street in Brooklyn.

DOT representatives counter pedestrian fatalities have fallen three times faster than the national average. They attribute the drop to better enforcement of driving rules, pedestrian regulations and improved street designs.