Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why individuals love to ride motorcycles. But this invigorating hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
An extensive study carried out by a notable German automobile association in collaboration with a maker of hearing protection solutions examined the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for just 15 minutes, riders who don’t use hearing protection can suffer permanent hearing damage.
What causes hearing loss in motorcyclists?
While the idea of hearing loss might not be surprising, the main culprit could. The greatest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s really the wind. The research highlighted that even though helmets offer crucial protection during crashes, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. The wind noise beating around the rider’s head isn’t decreased much even when a helmet has extra 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 are 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 progress to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
How do other noises compare to wind volume?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how extreme wind noise can get 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, have to use ear protection by law if the volume goes beyond 80 dB. This means that bikers riding at this speed without hearing protection are exposed to volume levels nearly 19% higher than what is deemed safe in a work environment.
As the speed increases, so does the volume level. Hearing damage can take place after just 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies confirm that bikers are indeed at significant risk of irreversible hearing loss.
Safeguarding your ears
Thankfully, safeguarding your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Most individuals 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 through. This means you can hear crucial sounds like sirens, horns, and human speech, which are vital for a biker’s safety.
Bikers are also able to get the complete experience of riding without feeling isolated or cut off from the external world which can’t be said for the old conventional style. You can protect your ears from damaging wind noise while still enjoying the thrill of the ride by utilizing filtered earplugs.
It is possible to enjoy the excitement of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your ears 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.
Give us a call today to find out more about hearing protection so you can keep on top of your hearing health.
