Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why people love riding motorcycles. But this exhilarating hobby comes at a high risk of irreversible hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
An extensive study done by a notable German automobile association in collaboration with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions examined the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. The results were alarming: bikers can suffer irreversible hearing damage after just 15 minutes of riding without hearing protection at a speed of 62 mph.
What causes hearing loss in bikers?
While the idea of hearing loss might not come as a complete surprise, the primary culprit could. The greatest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s really the wind. The research highlighted that although helmets provide crucial protection during crashes, they fall short in safeguarding a biker’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, such as additional 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 become. People who are dealing with TTS may start to notice that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. However, over time, this condition can advance 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 instance, need 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 traveling at this speed.
As the speed increases, so does the noise level. Hearing damage can happen after just 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies confirm that bikers are indeed at considerable risk of irreversible hearing loss.
Safeguarding your ears
Luckily, it’s easy to safeguard your hearing with earplugs. Hearing specialists strongly recommend using filtered earplugs, which are far superior to the old, uncomfortable versions most people are familiar with. These advanced earplugs are manufactured to safeguard your eardrums from high-frequency noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to get in. It’s crucial for bikers to still be able to hear vital sounds like human voices, emergency warning sounds, and car horns.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the exhilaration of riding without feeling isolated 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.
It is possible to enjoy the thrill of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your ears safe from wind noise. The wind noise generated at high speeds can cause considerable and permanent hearing damage in a very short time. But bikers can protect their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply utilizing a pair of quality earplugs.
Stay on top of your hearing health by contacting us to discuss hearing protection.