Making a left turn in a bustling place like New York City can be dangerous — even deadly.

Case in point: 17 pedestrians and three bicyclists were killed in the city last year by vehicles making left-hand turns, according to WNYC data.

To help reduce the number of deaths, several NYC officials reportedly wrote Google a letter on July 1, asking it to include an option on Google Maps that reduces the number of left-hand turns suggested by the navigation app when driving to a destination.

See also: Google Maps will alert you to upcoming railroad crossings

Their request for reducing left-hand turns stems from compelling data.

According to NPR, 25% of all vehicle crashes involving pedestrians happened while those vehicles were turning left. Meanwhile, pedestrian fatalities in the city caused by vehicles making left turns remain the highest in the U.S.

As part of its effort to make streets safer, New York City's department of transportation is also redesigning some intersections, placing left-hand turn signals where none were before and increasing the duration of walk signals, according to the New York Times.

The possibility of Google Maps integrating an option that would reduce left-hand turn suggestions isn't really far-fetched. The app is constantly being tweaked and updated with new features. Last month, for example, Google Maps and the Federal Railroad Administration confirmed that they were developing a feature that would notify users whenever they approach a railroad crossing.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.