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 an avid rider, you should be aware of 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 assessed in a detailed study performed by a hearing protection maker in collaboration with a notable German automobile association. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for just 15 minutes, riders who don’t utilize hearing protection can suffer irreversible hearing damage.
What causes hearing loss in motorcyclists?
You might not be surprised that bikers frequently suffer from hearing loss, but you might be surprised as to why. In spite of what many believe, it’s not the motorcycle’s roaring engine but instead, the wind that poses the greatest hazard. Even though helmets offer considerable protection from injury during crashes, the research highlights that they fall short in safeguarding 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.
Regular exposure to excessive noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). 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. But irreversible hearing loss can, over time, be the outcome.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how severe wind noise can get while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head produces noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). For context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers must 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.
As the speed increases, so does the noise level. At 74 mph, wind noise can reach 98 dB, a level that can cause hearing damage after only 7 minutes of exposure. Other studies corroborate these findings, indicating that bikers are indeed at a substantial risk of hearing loss.
Safeguarding your ears
Luckily, it’s simple to safeguard your hearing with earplugs. Hearing specialists strongly recommend making use of filtered earplugs, which are far superior to the old, uncomfortable versions many are familiar with. These sophisticated 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.
Bikers are also able to get the full experience of riding without feeling isolated or cut off from the outside world which can’t be said for the old traditional style. You can safeguard your ears from harmful wind noise while still enjoying the thrill of the ride by making use of filtered earplugs.
While the passion for motorcycling is motivated by the allure of speed and freedom, it’s important to acknowledge and mitigate the associated hazards to your hearing. Considerable and permanent hearing damage can be caused by the noise of wind at high speeds. However, with the simple 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 contacting us to talk about hearing protection.