Motorcycle enthusiasts frequently mention the thrill of speed and the love for the open road as the driving force behind their passion. However, if you’re a passionate rider, you should know about a significant risk: research has linked this exhilarating hobby to permanent hearing damage.
A comprehensive study carried out by a prominent German automobile association in partnership with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions evaluated the impact of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for just 15 minutes, riders who don’t make use of hearing protection can suffer irreversible hearing damage.
What causes hearing loss in motorcyclists?
You may not be surprised that bikers often suffer from loss of hearing, but you might be surprised as to why. The biggest threat isn’t the raging engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s really the wind. The research emphasized that although helmets offer critical protection during accidents, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. Enhancements to the helmet, such as extra padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to mitigate the wind noise swirling around the rider.
Regular exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more frequently you are exposed to loud noise, the more intense your TTS symptoms will become with this progressive condition. Individuals who are dealing with TTS might begin to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. However, over time, this condition can advance to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
Comparing wind volume with other noise levels
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how severe wind noise can be while riding. The wind noise around a rider’s head can be as high as 95 (dB) at 62 mph. Workers in Europe, for instance, need to utilize hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are enduring volume levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when riding at this speed.
And the noise level only increases as the speed goes up. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can trigger hearing damage after just 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies confirm that bikers are indeed at substantial risk of irreversible hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing
Luckily, it’s easy to protect your hearing with earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old standard earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. Filtered earplugs are a more sophisticated model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get in. It’s crucial for bikers to still be able to hear vital sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Moreover, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the sensations of riding without feeling isolated or numb, a common drawback of older protective devices. You can protect your ears from harmful wind noise while still experiencing the thrill of the ride by making use of filtered earplugs.
It is possible to enjoy the excitement of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your hearing safe from wind noise. Significant and irreversible hearing damage can be caused by the noise of wind at high speeds. But bikers can safeguard their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply using a pair of quality earplugs.
Call today to find out more about hearing protection so you can stay on top of your hearing health.