Hearing Hazardous: Protect Your Hearing While Riding – Myths Uncovered
Awareness of the levels of noise to which a motorcyclist is exposed is an important component to the process of riding. Once that awareness level has been reached, the responsibility is on the motorcyclist to take an active role in utilizing appropriate hearing protection. Often, the motorcyclist has the knowledge basis but does not execute a plan for hearing protection usage for many reasons. The reasons differ but the fundamental thought process of the motorcyclist is that the use of hearing protection will alter the ride. Because of this, it is important to address these myths to expose their fallacious nature; in this way, you can be assured that the use of hearing protection will not be a detriment at all to your riding.
1. “My motorcycle is not as loud as you think”
Think again – it most certainly is. As we have already learned, depending upon the motorcycle you drive and how you modify it, the motorcycle is actually louder than you think.
2. “All the noise from the motorcycle goes behind me and does not hit my ears”
The noise from your bike and the baffle noise bounce back and does end up becoming a contributing factor to the noise to which you are exposed while riding. However, as we have previously discussed, the main culprit of noise while riding is the wind noise. Without protection against this wind noise, your hearing will invariably be impacted.
3. “The helmet protects my hearing”
Many riders believe that the helmet provides an adequate amount of hearing protection. Not only is the helmet an ineffective method of hearing protection, it can also be a significant cause of increased noise exposure.
4. “The earplugs will be uncomfortable under my helmet”
This is absolutely untrue. I will explain in detail the most comfortable plugs and why they are comfortable, even underneath the helmet.
5. “I need to hear other motorists – that’s how motorcycle riders can get killed, if they cannot hear other motorists on the road”
This is the most common misconception, and the one that should be addressed to the greatest extent. Oftentimes, a motorcyclist will indicate to me that he or she knows wearing hearing protection is important, but the fear of not being able to hear what is necessary impedes them from doing so. One of the main concerns is that the rider will be unable to hear anything else that is occurring on the road. Obviously, it is incredibly important to hear the other motorists, and to make certain that the surrounding motorists have an awareness of you as the riding motorcyclist. However, this capacity does not get lost when wearing hearing protection. Environmental sounds become attenuated (softer) but are still audible. SO, the rider will still be able to hear environmental sounds – just at softer and less dangerous levels.
Hearing protection products are available in a number of different varieties and styles, each of which possess different assets and liabilities to the overall fitting. A standard measure, called the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is utilized to ascertain level of function of the hearing protection product with respect to the capacity to block the sound. It is important to note that the NRR does not have a linear relationship with the attenuation of sound. Rather, it is a formula that is utilized to determine what the overall noise reduction will be based upon the conversion from one scale of sound measurement (a “C” rated scale mandated by OSHA for industrial workplaces) to another scale of measurement better suited for determining the impact on human hearing (an “A” weighted scale). The rule of thumb is that the higher the NRR, the more protective the plug will be for your hearing.
Other variables involved in ascertaining how beneficial the hearing protection plug will be includes the type of plug utilized, the material that comprises the plug (including its porosity), and the overall fit of the plug. Many people choose to wear the one-size-fits-all over the counter disposable foam plugs. If they are not placed securely in the ear, and a true seal is not obtained, the wearer may not be getting the full benefit of using the hearing protection plug. Which plugs are best suited for the motorcycle rider in terms of comfort, ease of function and reliability? Await the detailed explanation, so that you can choose the right hearing protection when you ride your motorcycle!
Dr. Heche is a Doctor of Audiology and Clinical Voice and Swallowing
Pathologist. She is dually certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed in NYS in Audiology and Speech Pathology. In addition, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and is Board Certified in Audiology. Dr. Heche is also a NYS licensed Hearing Aid Dispenser.
Dr. Heche runs the NYC-based private practice New York Speech & Hearing and can be reached at
[email protected] or by telephone at (212) 260-1414.
Her website is:
www.newyorkspeechandhearing.com
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