Alex Goehring-Kane could be the poster girl for a push to force Spokane youngsters who skate, bike and scoot to wear safety helmets.

Minutes after arguing with her stepmother about wearing a helmet to Loon Lake’s library last August, she was hit on her bike by a car going 40 mph. Unfortunately, she’d won the argument. She wasn’t wearing a helmet. Spokesman-Review staff writer Amy Cannata explained what happened to Alex: “She smashed into the windshield, flew over the top of the car and landed on her head on the pavement.”

After three weeks in a coma, Alex had to learn to eat and talk again. From a wheelchair, she urged kids at Riverfront Park to wear helmets.

We’d like to think Alex’s crusade bore fruit. But the numbers aren’t encouraging. Helmet use by skaters and bike and scooter riders in Spokane County has fallen from 64 percent in 1997 to about 40 percent today, according to the Spokane Regional Health District. The statewide average is 62 percent. Something’s wrong with this picture. With skate parks opening in more communities, and bike and scooter riding remaining popular, helmet laws should be mandatory for children 16 and under.

On June 28, the Spokane City Council will consider a law that would do exactly that. The proposed law is championed by the health district and Spokane Safe Kids Coalition. Violators would be guilty of a class-4 civil infraction and their parents or guardians could face a fine of $25. That’s stiff medicine. But waiting in an emergency room while a young loved one clings to life is stiffer.

Even young skaters aren’t crazy about the proposal. In an article last week, reporter Mike Prager told of a mother from Burlington, Wash., who was visiting the Hillyard skate park with her 8-year-old son. The boy didn’t want to wear a helmet, stating: “You’ve got to know how to ride.” His mother sided with him. Helmets are OK for riding on public streets, she said, but skaters and skateboarders shouldn’t be required to wear them at skate parks. Most skateboard accidents, she said, involve ankles and wrists. Apparently, she thinks the concrete is softer at skate parks.

From 1997 through 2001, according to the health district, Spokane County had 259 hospitalizations from bicycle accidents, including six fatalities. Helmets reduce the likelihood of brain injuries in serious accidents by 88 percent.

We shouldn’t wait for the statistics to mount to require helmets for skaters and skateboarders. Faced with the choice of wearing a helmet or skating at challenging local skate parks, most skaters will opt for the former. They may have attitude, but they’re not stupid.