Hearing loss is a common challenge for older people, but does it merit giving up driving? The response isn’t straightforward, as driving habits differ among individuals.
Even if some adjustments need to be made to the volume of the radio, hearing loss shouldn’t mean a seasoned driver has to stop driving.
For individuals who commute on a regular basis the question of whether hearing loss presents a threat while driving is a significant consideration. Is your hearing loss making you a unsafe driver?
Think beyond driving…
If you are noticing hearing loss, it won’t have a huge impact on your driving ability…yet. That day is coming, though, if you decide to just ignore your decline.
Johns Hopkins Medicine has found there is a distinct relationship between hearing and brain health. Struggling to hear forces the brain to use valuable resources just to understand what individuals are saying. It has a detrimental impact on cognition and can contribute to the onset of dementia. Somebody suffering from dementia definitely can’t drive.
If you have hearing loss, can you still drive?
You can still drive with hearing loss, but it should be noted that safe driving demands strong observational skills including auditory awareness. Among the approximately 48 million Americans who have hearing loss, the majority of them still drive according to the Center for Hearing Communication.
Driving with hearing loss
With a few adjustments, you can still continue to be safe on the road. Here are some tips.
Quit procrastinating
Visit us, have your hearing tested, and consider how hearing aids can help things for you. The question of whether you should be driving can be removed by using hearing aids.
Be a more observant driver
You will still need to be observant about what’s going on around your vehicle even if you use hearing aids.
Don’t let it get too noisy in your car
This will let you focus your listening on driving without being distracted. Ask your passengers to talk more quietly and keep the radio down or off.
Remember to check your dashboard often
It’s the little things that will add up when you drive with hearing loss. You may not be capable of hearing that clicking sound that your turn signal makes, for example. You will have to depend on your eyes to pick up the slack, so get in the habit of checking your dashboard to see what your car is trying to tell you.
Make maintenance a priority
Maybe your car is making a weird noise in the engine but you are unable to hear it. That is a major safety hazard, so make a point of having your car serviced routinely. For people with hearing loss, this is important, even more so than it would be for somebody without hearing loss.
Pay close attention to other vehicles around you
This is a no-brainer for everybody but if you have hearing loss it’s even more poignant. If you see other cars pulling off the road, you should do that also because you may have missed the sirens. Use the actions of other drivers to get some visual hints about traffic patterns around you.
Can you drive when you have hearing loss? That’s up to you. It is possible to be a good driver even if your hearing isn’t what it once was because odds are your other senses will help you make the adjustment. But if you’re feeling concerned about it, make an appointment to come see if we can help you improve your situation, possibly by using hearing aids.
Call us right away to schedule your hearing exam and explore hearing aid solutions for your distinctive lifestyle.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss
http://chchearing.org/facts-about-hearing-loss
