Motorcycle enthusiasts frequently cite the thrill of speed and the love for the open road as the primary reasons behind their enthusiasm. However, if you’re an avid rider, you should know about a substantial risk: research has connected this thrilling hobby to irreversible hearing damage.
An extensive study conducted by a prominent German automobile association in partnership with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions evaluated the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. The findings were alarming: bikers can suffer irreversible hearing damage after only 15 minutes of riding without earplugs 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 primary culprit could. In spite of what many think, it isn’t the motorcycle’s roaring engine but instead, the wind that poses the greatest hazard. The research emphasized that even though helmets offer crucial protection during crashes, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. Enhancements to the helmet, such as extra padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to mitigate the wind noise whirling around the rider.
Motorcyclists are frequently impacted by a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS), which results from regular exposure to excessive noise levels. The more often you are exposed to loud noise, the more intense your TTS symptoms will become with this progressive condition. People who are coping with TTS may start to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But irreversible 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 get while riding. The wind noise around a rider’s head can reach 95 (dB) at 62 mph. To put into context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers need to safeguard their ears if exposed to noise levels exceeding 80 dB. This means that bikers traveling 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 goes up, so does the volume level. Hearing damage can happen after just 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which generates wind volumes of 98 dB. Other studies corroborate these findings, indicating that bikers are indeed at a substantial risk of hearing loss.
Safeguarding your ears
The good news is, 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 sophisticated model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get in. This means you’re able to hear essential sounds like sirens, horns, and human speech, which are critical for a biker’s safety.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the exhilaration of riding without feeling isolated or numb, a common drawback of older protective devices. You can safeguard your ears from harmful wind noise while still experiencing the thrill of the ride by making use of 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 permanent 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.
Call today to find out more about hearing protection so you can keep on top of your hearing health.
