Love of the open road and the thrill of speed are at the top of the list of reasons why individuals love riding motorcycles. But this exhilarating hobby comes at a high risk of irreversible hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
The effect of motorcycle speed and riding time on hearing health was assessed in a comprehensive study carried out by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a prominent German automobile association. The findings were alarming: bikers can suffer irreversible hearing damage after only 15 minutes of riding without earplugs at a speed of 62 mph.
What causes hearing loss in bikers?
You may not be surprised that bikers often suffer from loss of hearing, but you may be surprised as to why. The biggest threat isn’t the roaring engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s actually the wind. While helmets provide significant protection from injury during crashes, the research highlights that they fall short in safeguarding the rider’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, such as added padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to reduce the wind noise swirling around the rider.
Regular exposure to excessive noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). The more frequently you are exposed to loud noise, the worse your TTS symptoms will be with this progressive condition. Individuals who are coping with TTS might begin 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
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how severe 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 use hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are experiencing volume levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when riding at this speed.
And the volume level only gets louder as the speed increases. Hearing damage can take place after just 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at substantial risk of irreversible hearing loss.
Protecting your ears
Fortunately, protecting your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Most individuals are familiar with the old basic earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. Filtered earplugs are a more advanced model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get in. It’s crucial for bikers to still be able to hear important sounds like human voices, sirens, and car horns.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the exhilaration of riding without feeling isolated or numb, a common drawback of older protective devices. You can protect your ears from damaging wind noise while still experiencing the thrill of the ride by utilizing 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. The wind noise generated at high speeds can cause significant and irreversible hearing damage in a really short time period. However, with the basic 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 discuss hearing protection.