Love of the open road and the thrill of speed are at the top of the list of reasons why people love riding motorcycles. However, if you’re a passionate rider, you should know about a substantial risk: research has connected this stimulating hobby to permanent hearing damage.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding duration on hearing health was assessed in a detailed study performed by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a notable German automobile association. The results were alarming: bikers can suffer permanent hearing damage after just 15 minutes of riding without hearing protection at a speed of 62 mph.
Why do motorcycle riders get hearing loss?
While the idea of hearing loss might not come as a complete surprise, the main culprit might. The greatest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s actually the wind. Even though helmets offer considerable protection from injury during crashes, the research stresses that they fall short in safeguarding the rider’s hearing. The wind noise beating around the rider’s head isn’t reduced much even when a helmet has extra padding, vents, or other improvements.
Bikers are frequently affected by a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS), which is triggered by frequent exposure to excessive noise levels. TTS is a progressive condition, which means the more you’re exposed to loud noises, the more intense the symptoms can get. People who are coping with TTS may begin to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. However, over time, this condition can progress to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
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 reach 95 (dB) at 62 mph. Workers in Europe, for example, have to use ear protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. This means that bikers traveling at this speed without ear protection are exposed to noise levels nearly 19% higher than what is considered safe in a work environment.
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 generates wind volumes of 98 dB. Other studies validate these findings, indicating that bikers are indeed at a substantial risk of hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing
Fortunately, safeguarding your hearing while riding is both easy and effective: use earplugs. Hearing specialists emphatically recommend using filtered earplugs, which are far better than the old, uncomfortable versions many are familiar with. Filtered earplugs are a more advanced model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get through. 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 sensations of riding without feeling cut off or numb, a common downside of older protective devices. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to enjoy the thrill of the ride while protecting your hearing from the harmful effects of wind noise.
While the passion for motorcycling is powered by the allure of speed and freedom, it’s crucial to recognize and mitigate the associated hazards to your hearing. The wind noise generated at high speeds can cause considerable and irreversible hearing damage in a really short time. However, with the simple addition of quality earplugs, bikers can continue to enjoy their rides while safeguarding their long-term hearing health.
Stay on top of your hearing health by calling us to discuss hearing protection.