RALEIGH — To reduce bicycle injuries and deaths, the N.C. Department of Transportation is encouraging people to apply to receive free bicycle helmets as part of an annual initiative the agency conducts.

RALEIGH — A record number of children, 3,320 total, across the state will be receiving lifesaving bicycle helmets through the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative, part of ongoing efforts to reduce bicycle injuries and deaths in North Carolina.