Santa Ana : Police to Sell Bike Helmets at Half Price
Schoolchildren soon will be able to buy half-price bicycle safety helmets through local police, officials said Tuesday.
The Police Department will use $10,500 in donations to pay half the cost of bike helmets, now required for riders younger than 18 years old. The state bike helmet law took effect Jan. 1, but riders have until the end of the year before police start writing $25 tickets, Cpl. Larry Wiist said.
Motorcycle Officer Steve Winston, who gives bike safety presentations at 30 local schools, said low-income children will be given preference.
Buyers must pay half the cost of the bicycle helmets, which usually run about $15. The department will pay the rest and deliver the helmets, Wiist said.
A Fountain Valley-based branch of the Safeco Insurance Co. of America donated $10,000 to the fund. A local Kiwanis Club contributed $500, Wiist said.
The donations will help buy about 2,500 helmets, which Winston plans to purchase at a discount.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
