Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why individuals love to ride motorcycles. But this exciting hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
The effect of motorcycle speed and riding time on hearing health was assessed in a comprehensive study carried out by a hearing protection maker in cooperation with a prominent German automobile association. The results were alarming: bikers can suffer irreversible hearing damage after just 15 minutes of riding without hearing protection at a speed of 62 mph.
Why do bikers get hearing loss?
While the concept of hearing loss may not be surprising, the primary culprit could. Contrary to what many believe, it’s not the motorcycle’s roaring engine but rather, the wind that presents the biggest hazard. While helmets provide significant protection from injury during crashes, the research highlights that they fall short in safeguarding the rider’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, such as added padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to decrease the wind noise swirling around the rider.
Frequent exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more often you are exposed to loud noise, the more intense your TTS symptoms will become with this progressive condition. At first, TTS sufferers might detect minor symptoms like a temporary decrease in hearing clarity. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the result.
Comparing wind noise with other noise levels
To comprehend the seriousness of wind noise while riding, the German study’s conclusions are illuminating. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head generates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). Workers in Europe, for instance, have to utilize ear protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are enduring volume levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when traveling at this speed.
And the noise level only gets louder as the speed increases. Hearing damage can occur after only 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Other studies validate these findings, indicating that bikers are indeed at a considerable risk of hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing
The good news is, it’s easy to safeguard your hearing with earplugs. Most individuals are familiar with the old basic earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. These sophisticated earplugs are designed to safeguard your eardrums from high-pitched noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to get in. It’s crucial for bikers to still be able to hear vital sounds like human voices, sirens, and car horns.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs allow bikers to enjoy the exhilaration 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 enjoying the thrill of the ride by using filtered earplugs.
It is possible to enjoy the thrill of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your ears safe from wind noise. The wind noise created at high speeds can cause significant and irreversible hearing damage in a really short time period. However, with the simple addition of quality earplugs, bikers can continue to enjoy their rides while protecting their long-term hearing health.
Stay on top of your hearing health by calling us to discuss hearing protection.