Motorcycle enthusiasts often mention the thrill of speed and the love for the open road as the driving force behind their passion. However, if you’re an avid rider, you should be aware of a significant risk: research has linked this stimulating hobby to permanent hearing damage.
A comprehensive study carried out by a notable German automobile association in collaboration with a maker of hearing protection solutions examined the impact of riding time and motorcycle speed on hearing health. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for just 15 minutes, riders who don’t make use of hearing protection can suffer permanent hearing damage.
Why do motorcycle riders get hearing loss?
While the concept of hearing loss may not be surprising, the primary culprit could. The biggest threat isn’t the raging engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s actually the wind. The research highlighted that although helmets provide crucial protection during accidents, they fall short in safeguarding a biker’s hearing. The wind noise whipping around the rider’s head isn’t reduced much even when a helmet has extra padding, vents, or other improvements.
Frequent exposure to extreme 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 become with this progressive condition. People who are dealing with TTS might begin to notice that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But irreversible hearing loss can, over time, be the result.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how extreme wind noise can be while riding. The wind noise around a rider’s head can reach 95 (dB) at 62 mph. Workers in Europe, for example, need to use hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are experiencing noise levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when traveling at this speed.
And the noise level only increases as the speed increases. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can trigger hearing damage after just 7 minutes of exposure. Other studies corroborate these findings, suggesting that bikers are indeed at a significant risk of hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing
Fortunately, protecting your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old basic earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. These advanced earplugs are manufactured to protect your eardrums from high-pitched noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to penetrate. It’s important for bikers to still be able to hear important 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 outside world which can’t be said for the old conventional style. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to experience the thrill of the ride while safeguarding your hearing from the damaging effects of wind noise.
While the passion for motorcycling is motivated by the appeal of speed and freedom, it’s essential to recognize and mitigate the associated hazards to your hearing. Considerable and irreversible hearing damage can be caused by the noise of wind at high speeds. However, with the simple addition of quality earplugs, bikers can continue to enjoy their rides while protecting their long-term hearing health.
Give us a call today to find out more about hearing protection so you can keep on top of your hearing health.