Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why individuals love to ride motorcycles. But this exciting hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for individuals who ride a lot.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding time on hearing health was evaluated in a comprehensive study conducted by a hearing protection manufacturer in cooperation with a notable German automobile association. 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.
What causes hearing loss in bikers?
While the idea of hearing loss might not be surprising, the leading culprit might. The greatest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s actually the wind. Even though helmets offer significant 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 decreased much even when a helmet has extra padding, vents, or other modifications.
Regular exposure to excessive noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). TTS is a progressive condition, meaning the more you’re exposed to loud noises, the more intense the symptoms can become. Individuals who are dealing with TTS may start to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. However, over time, this condition can advance to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
Comparing wind noise with other noise levels
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 produces noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). Workers in Europe, for example, have to utilize hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. This means that bikers riding at this speed without hearing protection are exposed to volume levels nearly 19% higher than what is deemed safe in a work environment.
And the volume level only gets louder as the speed increases. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can cause hearing damage after only 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at significant risk of permanent hearing loss.
How to safeguard your hearing
Fortunately, safeguarding your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old standard earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. These advanced earplugs are designed to protect your eardrums from high-pitched noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to get in. It’s crucial for bikers to still be able to hear important sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the sensations of riding without feeling cut off or numb, a common disadvantage 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.
It is possible to enjoy the thrill of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your hearing safe from wind noise. Considerable and permanent 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 safeguarding their long-term hearing health.
Stay on top of your hearing health by calling us to talk about hearing protection.