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 know about a significant risk: research has connected this stimulating hobby to permanent hearing damage.
The impact of motorcycle speed and riding time on hearing health was evaluated in a comprehensive study carried out by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a notable German automobile association. The results 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 frequently suffer from loss of hearing, but you might be surprised as to why. The greatest threat isn’t the raging engine, contrary to the common belief, it’s actually the wind. While helmets offer considerable protection from injury during crashes, the research stresses that they fall short in protecting the rider’s hearing. The wind noise whipping around the rider’s head isn’t reduced very much even when a helmet has added padding, vents, or other modifications.
Bikers are often impacted by a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS), which is triggered by frequent exposure to extreme noise levels. The more frequently you’re exposed to loud noise, the more intense your TTS symptoms will become with this progressive condition. At first, TTS sufferers may notice minor symptoms like a temporary decrease in hearing clarity. However, over time, this condition can advance to permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how extreme wind noise can be while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head creates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). To put into context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers need to safeguard their ears if exposed to volume levels higher than 80 dB. Bikers are enduring noise levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when riding at this speed.
And the volume level only gets louder as the speed goes up. Hearing damage can occur after only 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which generates wind volumes of 98 dB. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at significant risk of permanent hearing loss.
Safeguarding your ears
Luckily, it’s simple to safeguard your hearing with earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old standard 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 through. This means you can hear crucial sounds like sirens, horns, and human speech, which are vital for a biker’s safety.
Bikers are also able to get the total experience of riding without feeling isolated or cut off from the external world which can’t be said for the old conventional style. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to enjoy the thrill of the ride while protecting your hearing from the damaging effects of wind noise.
It is possible to enjoy the thrill 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 basic addition of quality earplugs, bikers can continue to enjoy their rides while protecting their long-term hearing health.
Stay on top of your hearing health by contacting us to talk about hearing protection.