Bicycle riding got a little safer for children Saturday when an organization handed out helmets to the first 125 youngsters to visit its booth in front of United Way during October's Downtown Daze.

"A family showed up at a quarter to 10 to get helmets for the children," said Ralph McClesky, a volunteer with the Taylor Jones Haskell Medical Society Alliance, the spouses of area physicians. "They had read about the giveaway in the newspaper and got here early. We have had other families stop by as they enjoy the downtown activities."

The alliance received a grant from the Texas Medical Association to give helmets to children. All helmets comply with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements.

The giveaway was in affiliation with the Mayor Norm Archibald's Council of Physical Fitness, local bicycle shop Bike Town and Sparky Dean, public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation, who handed out Junior Trooper badges to the children.

According to Texas Medical Association statistics, wearing a helmet can reduce the chances of a serious head injury by almost 85 percent. However, only 25 percent of children 5 to 14 wear a helmet when they bicycle.

Bicycle enthusiast Kerri Hart showed children how to put on the helmets correctly and reinforced the importance of helmets by example.

"I told a young girl earlier today that every time I crashed, I cracked my helmet. If I had not been wearing my helmet, I would have cracked my head," Hart said.

The ACU Health Science and Wellness professor said most bicycle crashes are end-over-end, and the first impact occurs to the head.

"Each time you crack your helmet, you need to replace it, as it can no longer cushion the head as well," Hart said. "Make sure the helmet you use is safety rated."

According to Susan Wray, community service chair for the alliance, the group has held helmet giveaways for about two years, mainly at the Mall of Abilene. The alliance has also collaborated with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing for the Bee Wise children's free immunization program.