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Seeing as we have been on the topic of safety in the last couple of days I thought I would bring up the subject once more on a less spoken about safety issue:
Riding noise... the not-so silent danger.
Permanent hearing damage can occur at 75db with as little as 30 minutes exposure.
Road and engine noise are not the usual culprit, it is the wind noise that causes the majority of the damage. Travelling at 80km/h on a motorcycle can easily produce sound levels above 75db from wind noise alone. Some helmets are quieter than others, yes, however no helmet protects you sufficiently to avoid permanent hearing loss.
The only real way around this is to invest in earplugs. I ride pretty much everywhere with mine. At under a dollar for a pair of comfortable earplugs its cheap compared to the loss of hearing in later life. Earplugs also reduces fatigue caused by auditory overload.
Many people spend mega $$$ on protective riding gear, yet one of the most important pieces of safety equipment is also one of the cheapest.
Just something to think about!
Riding noise... the not-so silent danger.
Permanent hearing damage can occur at 75db with as little as 30 minutes exposure.
Road and engine noise are not the usual culprit, it is the wind noise that causes the majority of the damage. Travelling at 80km/h on a motorcycle can easily produce sound levels above 75db from wind noise alone. Some helmets are quieter than others, yes, however no helmet protects you sufficiently to avoid permanent hearing loss.
The only real way around this is to invest in earplugs. I ride pretty much everywhere with mine. At under a dollar for a pair of comfortable earplugs its cheap compared to the loss of hearing in later life. Earplugs also reduces fatigue caused by auditory overload.
Many people spend mega $$$ on protective riding gear, yet one of the most important pieces of safety equipment is also one of the cheapest.
Just something to think about!
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