Motorcycle enthusiasts often cite the thrill of speed and the love for the open road as the primary reasons behind their enthusiasm. But this exhilarating hobby comes at a high risk of permanent hearing damage for individuals who ride a lot.
An extensive study carried out by a notable German automobile association in collaboration with a maker of hearing protection solutions evaluated the effect of riding duration and motorcycle speed on hearing health. 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?
While the notion of hearing loss may not be surprising, the leading culprit could. Contrary to what many think, it’s not the motorcycle’s roaring engine but rather, the wind that presents the greatest threat. The research emphasized that although helmets offer crucial protection during crashes, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. Improvements to the helmet, such as additional padding, vents, or weather stripping, do little to mitigate the wind noise swirling around the rider.
Bikers are often affected by a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS), which is triggered by regular exposure to excessive noise levels. TTS is a progressive condition, which means the more you are exposed to loud noises, the worse the symptoms can become. At first, TTS sufferers might detect minor symptoms like a temporary decrease in hearing clarity. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the result.
How do other noises compare to wind noise?
The German study sheds a lot of light on just how extreme wind noise can get while riding. At 62 mph, the wind around a biker’s head creates noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). Workers in Europe, for example, have to use hearing protection by law if the volume goes beyond 80 dB. This means that bikers riding at this speed without hearing protection are exposed to noise levels nearly 19% higher than what is deemed safe in a work environment.
As the speed goes up, so does the noise level. At 74 mph, wind volume can reach 98 dB, a level that can trigger hearing damage after only 7 minutes of exposure. Many studies corroborate that bikers are indeed at substantial risk of permanent hearing loss.
How to safeguard your hearing
Fortunately, safeguarding your hearing while riding is both easy and effective: use earplugs. Hearing specialists emphatically recommend using filtered earplugs, which are far better than the old, uncomfortable versions many are familiar with. Filtered earplugs are a more advanced 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 vital for a biker’s safety.
Moreover, these modern earplugs let bikers enjoy the exhilaration of riding without feeling cut off or numb, a common drawback of older protective devices. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to enjoy the thrill of the ride while protecting your hearing from the harmful effects of wind noise.
It is possible to enjoy the excitement of speed and the freedom of the open road while still keeping your ears safe from wind noise. Significant 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 calling us to talk about hearing protection.
