Love of the open road and the thrill of speed top the list of reasons why people love riding motorcycles. However, if you’re a passionate rider, you should know about a substantial risk: research has linked this exhilarating hobby to irreversible hearing damage.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding duration on hearing health was evaluated in a comprehensive study performed by a hearing protection manufacturer in cooperation with a notable German automobile association. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for only 15 minutes, riders who don’t use hearing protection can suffer permanent hearing damage.
Why do motorcycle riders get hearing loss?
While the idea of hearing loss may not come as a complete surprise, the leading culprit could. Despite what many think, it isn’t the motorcycle’s roaring engine but rather, the wind that poses the greatest hazard. Although helmets provide considerable protection from injury during crashes, the research highlights that they fall short in protecting the rider’s hearing. The wind noise whipping around the rider’s head isn’t decreased very much even when a helmet has extra padding, vents, or other modifications.
Frequent exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition known as temporary threshold shift (TTS). TTS is a progressive condition, which means the more you’re exposed to loud noises, the more intense the symptoms can become. People who are dealing with TTS might start to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the result.
Comparing wind volume with other noise levels
To comprehend the seriousness of wind noise while riding, the German study’s findings are illuminating. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head creates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). For context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers need to safeguard their ears if exposed to volume levels exceeding 80 dB. This means that bikers riding at this speed without hearing protection are exposed to noise levels nearly 19% higher than what is regarded as safe in a work environment.
And the noise level only gets louder as the speed goes up. Hearing damage can happen after only 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which generates wind volumes of 98 dB. Other studies corroborate these findings, indicating that bikers are indeed at a substantial risk of hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing
Fortunately, protecting your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Hearing specialists emphatically recommend making use of filtered earplugs, which are far better than the old, uncomfortable versions many are familiar with. 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 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 disadvantage of older protective devices. You can safeguard your ears from damaging wind noise while still enjoying the thrill of the ride by using filtered earplugs.
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. Significant and permanent hearing damage can be caused by the noise of wind at high speeds. But bikers can protect their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply using a set of quality earplugs.
Stay on top of your hearing health by contacting us to discuss hearing protection.