Love of the open road and the thrill of speed are at the top of the list of reasons why individuals love to ride motorcycles. But this invigorating hobby comes at a high risk of irreversible hearing damage for people who ride a lot.
The effect of motorcycle speed and riding duration on hearing health was examined in a detailed study conducted by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a prominent German automobile association. The results were startling: 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 notion of hearing loss may not come as a complete surprise, the main culprit could. The greatest threat isn’t the raging engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s really the wind. The research highlighted that even though helmets offer crucial protection during accidents, they fall short in safeguarding a biker’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, such as added padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to reduce the wind noise whirling around the rider.
Frequent exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition known as 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. Initially, TTS sufferers might notice minor symptoms like a temporary reduction in hearing clarity. However, over time, this condition can progress to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
Comparing wind volume with other noise levels
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how severe wind noise can be while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head generates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). Workers in Europe, for example, have to utilize hearing protection by law if the volume exceeds 80 dB. Bikers are experiencing volume 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 only 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which generates wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at considerable risk of permanent hearing loss.
How to safeguard your hearing
Fortunately, safeguarding your hearing while riding is both simple and effective: use earplugs. Hearing specialists strongly recommend utilizing filtered earplugs, which are far better than the old, uncomfortable versions most people are familiar with. Filtered earplugs are a more sophisticated model that filters out high frequencies like wind while allowing lower frequencies to get through. This means you can hear essential sounds like sirens, horns, and human speech, which are critical for a biker’s safety.
Furthermore, these modern earplugs allow bikers to enjoy the sensations of riding without feeling cut off 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 making use of filtered earplugs.
While the passion for motorcycling is fueled by the allure of speed and freedom, it’s essential to acknowledge and minimize the associated hazards to your hearing. Considerable and irreversible 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.