Safety Zone

Tommy Can You Hear Me? NO!

Ear Protection - The Sound Investment For Riders

It's not hard in this country to lose your hearing. In the 60s everyone blamed it on the Vietnam war. I had two brothers there and indeed they lost a substantial amount of hearing while in the service. I however was younger and missed the draft - but not the ability to lose over half my hearing. Playing in bands and attending an average of two concerts a week during my 20s did irreparable damage to my ears and audiologists want to put me in the Smithsonian when I die because many of my symptoms amaze them.

I have perfect pitch, but actually hear notes differently depending on which ear they are entering. Due to a correctional ability in my brain it all works out as long as I can hear the note coming into each ear. My brain also recreates lost frequencies in music as long as it has enough to go on on either side of the range. But, when it comes to the human voice this is surely not the case.

Then there's the traffic differential. The frequency that traffic din is at is one that I hear well. The frequency range of the human voice is another story as I only hear it half as well. Which basically means my brain processes traffic at twice the level of sound as I hear the human voice! And what about high pitched sounds like birds? Forget it. Luckily I can still see them and as I age they become more interesting to me, but only visually unfortunately. Basically my hearing is pretty screwed up and I live with the handicap for which there is no cure and no insurance coverage.

If you're riding a motorcycle and not protecting your ears with proper plugs you'll be on the road to my world in no time. Constant wind turbulence around your helmet and the general flow of traffic is enough to get you started. If you've ever driven on I5 under the convention center, or through on I90 the Mercer tunnel at rush hour with a half helmet on you are asking for real trouble. The sound level in those spots is so loud it's one that can easily tilt your equilibrium and potentially cause you to lose balance along with a percentage of hearing.

Rule of the thumb is that anything over 65 decibels for more than just a couple of minutes will begin to tear away at your hearing ability. Most Americans have already had plenty of this battering and many are already 25% deaf or better just from everyday life in the city.

The solution is simple. No matter how much hearing you have left, beam yourself over to the nearest drug store and invest in a few sets of plugs. Three bucks gets you about 25 pair when you buy them in bulk. Use them each time you ride and you'll be doing yourself a great service. Go through my handbag and riding jacket and you'll find the sum of no less than 5 sets of earplugs. The sets I my handbags I use when flying or attending an occasional concert, the ones in the jacket are for riding. Look for 20 decibel protection on the the package or better. The higher the number the more appealing they are to me.

There is no law against using ear protection when operating a motor vehicle in the state of Washington. The fact is, once you put your plugs in, you will be able to hear most of the same sounds you would hear if you were driving a car with the windows rolled up. Your visual perception will be stronger because your senses won't be processing so much audio information. It's really quite a treat once you get your plugs in and start riding and you will no doubt be able to ride longer because you'll be less tired mentally. I call it tune out and turn on.

Here's a little etiquette for when you're riding with someone else. Speaking to each other with helmets and earplugs on offers you little or no chance to get your point across. If you need to speak to other person about something important set up a hand signal system for requesting a stop. Once you stop, get your helmets off, your plugs out and then speak. Of coarse you'll try communicating with the plugs in and the helmets on and I'll be sitting across the street watching your frustration, but I won't hear a thing.

TM/July 99