Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why individuals love riding motorcycles. But this invigorating hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding duration on hearing health was assessed in a detailed study performed by a hearing protection manufacturer in cooperation with a notable German automobile association. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for only 15 minutes, riders who don’t utilize hearing protection can suffer irreversible hearing damage.
What causes hearing loss in motorcyclists?
While the notion of hearing loss may not come as a complete surprise, the main culprit might. Despite what many believe, it isn’t the motorcycle’s roaring engine but rather, the wind that poses the greatest threat. The research emphasized that even though helmets offer critical protection during accidents, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. The wind noise beating around the rider’s head isn’t decreased very much even when a helmet has added padding, vents, or other improvements.
Regular exposure to excessive noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more often you’re exposed to loud noise, the worse your TTS symptoms will be with this progressive condition. Initially, TTS sufferers might notice minor symptoms like a temporary decrease in hearing clarity. However, over time, this condition can advance to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
Comparing wind volume with other noise levels
To understand the seriousness of wind noise while riding, the German study’s findings are illuminating. The wind noise around a rider’s head can reach 95 (dB) at 62 mph. Workers in Europe, for instance, need to use ear protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are enduring noise levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when traveling at this speed.
And the volume level only gets louder as the speed goes up. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can cause hearing damage after just 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at substantial risk of permanent hearing loss.
Protecting your ears
Thankfully, protecting your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use 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 important sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Bikers are also able to get the total experience of riding without feeling isolated or cut off from the outside world which can’t be said for the old conventional style. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to experience the thrill of the ride while safeguarding your hearing from the harmful effects of wind noise.
It is possible to enjoy the thrill of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your hearing safe from wind noise. The wind noise generated at high speeds can cause considerable and irreversible hearing damage in a really short time. But bikers can protect their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply utilizing a pair of quality earplugs.
Call today to learn more about hearing protection so you can keep on top of your hearing health.