Love of the open road and the thrill of speed are at the top of the list of reasons why individuals love riding motorcycles. But this exciting hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
A comprehensive study carried out by a notable German automobile association in partnership with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions examined the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for only 15 minutes, riders who don’t use hearing protection can suffer permanent hearing damage.
Why do bikers get hearing loss?
While the concept of hearing loss might not be surprising, the leading culprit might. The biggest 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 protecting the rider’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, like extra padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to decrease the wind noise whirling around the rider.
Regular exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). TTS is a progressive condition, which means the more you are exposed to loud noises, the worse the symptoms can get. People who are coping with TTS might begin to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the outcome.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how severe wind noise can be while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head generates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). Workers in Europe, for example, have to utilize hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are enduring noise levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when riding at this speed.
As the speed increases, so does the noise level. Hearing damage can occur after just 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at significant risk of permanent hearing loss.
Protecting your ears
The good news is, it’s easy to protect your hearing with earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old standard earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. These sophisticated earplugs are manufactured to safeguard your eardrums from high-frequency noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to penetrate. It’s important for bikers to still be able to hear vital sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Bikers are also able to get the full 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 safeguard your ears from damaging wind noise while still experiencing the thrill of the ride by utilizing 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 risks to your hearing. Significant and permanent hearing damage can be caused by the noise of wind at high speeds. But bikers can protect 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 keep on top of your hearing health.