Bike light giveaway lights up Isla Vista

ISLA VISTA, Calif.

Volunteers flagged down cyclists, riding through Isla Vista, to give them free bike lights on Wednesday night.

Some students heard about the giveaway on social media, others were pleasantly surprised.

University of California, Santa Barbara Associated Bike Committee teamed up with Community Resource Officers, the California Highway Patrol, and Cottage Hospital for the annual event.

They set up tables with information in front of the Associated Students Pardall Center. They said the giveaway would run until the lights ran out.

They invited students to stop for an "enlightened conversation."

Cottage hospital staff members also gave away reflectors and erasers shaped like brains.

They want people riding bikes to protect their brains.

Most of the students who stopped to pick up white and red flashing bike lights and yellow and pink reflectors were riding without helmets.

Organizers hope the lights will help protect them from accidents down the road.