NEW YORK (AP)  -- A new study shows many New York City cyclists ignore traffic and helmet laws.

The Hunter College study, released Wednesday, found that almost 50 percent of children under age 14 did not wear helmets even though the law requires they do. It also found that 27 percent of commercial cyclists, such as messengers and delivery workers, did not wear helmets.

According to the study, half of all female riders wore helmets, compared to only a third of male cyclists.

Only 43 percent of all cyclists stopped at red lights, the study says, and about 14 percent did not use designated bike lanes.

The study observed nearly 3,000 bicyclists chosen at random at 69 locations throughout New York City, between Oct. 1-29.