Love of the open road and the thrill of speed are at the top of the list of reasons why individuals love riding motorcycles. However, if you’re a passionate rider, you should be aware of a substantial risk: research has connected this stimulating hobby to irreversible hearing damage.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding time on hearing health was examined in a detailed study carried out by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a prominent German automobile association. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for only 15 minutes, riders who don’t utilize hearing protection can suffer irreversible hearing damage.
What causes hearing loss in motorcyclists?
While the idea of hearing loss might not come as a complete surprise, the main culprit might. Despite what many believe, it isn’t the motorcycle’s roaring engine but instead, the wind that poses the greatest threat. While helmets offer significant protection from injury during crashes, the research highlights that they fall short in safeguarding the rider’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.
Regular exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more frequently you are exposed to loud noise, the more intense your TTS symptoms will be with this progressive condition. People who are coping with TTS may begin 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 volume with other noise levels
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how extreme wind noise can get while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head generates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). For context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers need to protect their ears if exposed to volume levels higher than 80 dB. This means that bikers traveling at this speed without ear protection are exposed to volume levels nearly 19% higher than what is regarded as safe in a work environment.
And the volume level only increases as the speed goes up. At 74 mph, wind volume can reach 98 dB, a level that can trigger hearing damage after only 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at substantial risk of irreversible hearing loss.
How to safeguard your hearing
The good news is, it’s easy to protect your hearing with earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old basic 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. It’s important for bikers to still be able to hear vital sounds like human voices, sirens, and car horns.
Bikers are also able to get the complete 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 protect your ears from harmful wind noise while still enjoying the thrill of the ride by utilizing 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. Substantial 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 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.
