Motorcycle enthusiasts often mention the thrill of speed and the love for the open road as the primary reasons behind their passion. However, if you’re a passionate rider, you should be aware of a significant risk: research has connected this stimulating hobby to irreversible hearing damage.
An in depth study done by a notable German automobile association in collaboration with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions evaluated the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. The results were startling: bikers can suffer irreversible hearing damage after only 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 come as a complete surprise, the leading culprit might. The greatest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s really the wind. 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, like added padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to decrease the wind noise whirling around the rider.
Frequent exposure to excessive noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more frequently you’re exposed to loud noise, the worse your TTS symptoms will become with this progressive condition. Individuals who are dealing with TTS may begin to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the result.
How do other noises compare to wind volume?
To understand the severity of wind noise while riding, the German study’s findings are illuminating. The wind noise around a rider’s head can be as high as 95 (dB) at 62 mph. Workers in Europe, for example, have to use ear protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are experiencing 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. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can trigger hearing damage after only 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies confirm that bikers are indeed at considerable risk of permanent hearing loss.
Protecting your ears
Luckily, it’s easy to safeguard 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 advanced model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get in. It’s important for bikers to still be able to hear important sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs allow bikers to enjoy the exhilaration of riding without feeling cut off or numb, a common downside 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.
While the passion for motorcycling is powered by the allure of speed and freedom, it’s essential to acknowledge and minimize the associated hazards to your hearing. The wind noise produced at high speeds can cause considerable and irreversible hearing damage in a really short time period. But bikers can safeguard their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply using a set of quality earplugs.
Call today to learn more about hearing protection so you can stay on top of your hearing health.