CHP to Hand Out Free Lights for Bicycles in Isla Vista on Tuesday

Officers from the Santa Barbara Area California Highway Patrol (CHP) office respond to Isla Vista several times a year to investigate injury traffic crashes involving bicyclists. These crashes frequently end with the bicyclist being transported to the hospital, while most minor incidents go unreported.

Bike and pedestrian crashes are the number three cause of trauma seen at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

The CHP has been meeting with UCSB faculty, student leaders, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, and the University of California Police Department to address ongoing bicycle safety concerns on and around campus in past years. 

The agencies want to take an upbeat, proactive approach to bicycle safety and employ an alternative method rather than writing hundreds of traffic tickets to force compliance. One of the safety concerns identified in these meetings was that bicyclists ride during the hours of darkness without the required lighting. 

Santa Barbara California Highway Patrol has acquired bike lights, which can easily be mounted to and removed from students’ handlebars.  Officers, students, and volunteers will provide bicycle safety information and encourage students to take and use the lights on their bicycles.  Our hope is to make Isla Vista brighter by making bicyclists visible during darkness, making the cycling environment safer, and reducing injuries and property damage.   

Please join your local law enforcement, Isla Vista Community Services District, UCSB student leaders, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and community volunteers on March 03, 2026, from 5:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 6550 Pardall Road (in front of Pardall Center). 

We will be providing approximately 1,000 bike lights, reflectors, bicycle helmets, and bike safety information.  Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.