WYOMING — John Hock wishes bike helmets had been in general use 22 years ago. That layer of protection might have avoided the brain injury that haunts him now.

        But the Wyoming resident knows he's lucky to be alive after losing control of his bicycle as a child in Durham, N.C.

        “I flipped over the bike handles, hit my head on the concrete street and almost lost my life,” he said.

        He was rushed to Duke Medical Center.

        “I think if he hadn't gotten attention so quickly, he would have died,” said his mother, Joan Hock.

        The Hocks have become advocates for helmets, lobbying local governments as well as the Ohio legislature to mandate their use.

        “Brain injury is the largest cause of death and disability in young adults,” said Robert Hock, John's father. “Helmets do prevent injury and substantially reduce the number of people who die.”

        Slowly, more cities and towns in Greater Cincinnati are signing on. Waynesville and Glendale now require them; this month, city councils in Wyoming and Madeira will take up the matter.

        Resident Sharon Foreman made a presentation to Madeira City Council earlier this year.

        “As a nurse in the emergency room at Children's Hospital, I've seen the devastation that head injuries can cause,” she said.

        Ms. Foreman cited statistics from the Hamilton County General Health District: in Madeira from 1997 to 2000 there were 14 bicycle-related injuries, 10 of which affected children. Thirteen required emergency room visits.

        Madeira City Manager Tom Moeller believes there may be support for a helmet law, although council has not formally discussed the proposed legislation.

        The picture appears different in Wyoming.

        A committee voted last week against proposing a helmet law. Council will hear the recommendation at its meeting today and can choose to accept or override it.

        Wyoming prefers positive reinforcement, said Police Chief Jack Roy. Kids seen wearing their helmets get rewards such as coupons for McDonalds or LaRosa's.

        “Those not wearing helmets, we stop and talk to them about it,” Chief Roy said. “We have helmets to give away to those who don't have them.”

        From 1996 through 2001, 189 children from Wyoming were treated at Children's for head injuries related to bike accidents, hospital spokesman Jim Feuer said. Most were not wearing helmets.

        In Glendale, officials, enacted a law in 2000 that holds parents responsible for children's safety. Citations can be issued only to parents who knowingly allow their children to use wheeled equipment without wearing a helmet.

        It was modeled on one enacted by Waynesville that the same year.

        Anne Morin, 12, of Wyoming had her helmet firmly in place as she rode home from school Thursday.

        “I had an accident last year at the middle school,” she said. “My bike skidded along the ground. At least I had my helmet on so my face didn't get scratched up.”

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