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. However, if you’re an avid rider, you should be aware of a significant risk: research has connected this thrilling hobby to permanent hearing damage.
An in depth study conducted by a prominent German automobile association in collaboration with a manufacturer of hearing protection solutions evaluated the effect of riding time and motorcycle speed on hearing health. Alarmingly, at speeds of 62 or higher, for just 15 minutes, riders who don’t use hearing protection can suffer irreversible hearing damage.
Why do motorcycle riders get hearing loss?
You may not be surprised that bikers often suffer from loss of hearing, but you may be surprised as to why. In spite of what many believe, it isn’t the motorcycle’s roaring engine but instead, the wind that poses the biggest hazard. The research emphasized that even though helmets provide critical protection during crashes, they fall short in protecting a biker’s hearing. The wind noise whipping around the rider’s head isn’t reduced very much even when a helmet has extra padding, vents, or other modifications.
Regular exposure to extreme noise levels often leaves bikers with a condition called temporary threshold shift (TTS). TTS is a progressive condition, which means the more you’re exposed to loud noises, the more intense the symptoms can become. Individuals who are dealing with TTS may begin to detect that their hearing is less clear or other minor symptoms. But permanent hearing loss can, over time, be the outcome.
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 produces noise levels reaching 95 decibels (dB). For context, European Union (EU) law mandates that workers must protect their ears if exposed to noise levels higher than 80 dB. Bikers are experiencing noise levels up to 19% higher than safe working environments when traveling at this speed.
And the volume level only gets louder as the speed increases. Hearing damage can occur after only 7 minutes of riding at 74 mph which produces wind volumes of 98 dB. Other studies corroborate these findings, suggesting that bikers are indeed at a considerable risk of hearing loss.
Protecting your ears
Thankfully, protecting your hearing while riding is both easy and effective: use earplugs. Most people are familiar with the old standard earplugs, but hearing specialists recommend the filtered versions instead. These advanced earplugs are manufactured to safeguard your eardrums from high-pitched noises like wind while still allowing lower frequency sounds to penetrate. 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 let bikers enjoy the sensations of riding without feeling isolated or numb, a common drawback of older protective devices. With filtered earplugs, you can continue to enjoy the thrill of the ride while safeguarding your hearing from the damaging effects of wind noise.
While the passion for motorcycling is fueled by the appeal of speed and freedom, it’s essential to acknowledge and minimize the associated hazards to your hearing. The wind noise generated at high speeds can cause significant and irreversible hearing damage in a very short time. But bikers can protect their long-term hearing while still enjoying the ride by simply making use of a pair of quality earplugs.
Give us a call today to learn more about hearing protection so you can keep on top of your hearing health.