Wearing Ear Plugs While Driving a Car?

[Sean]

Do you guys think wearing ear plugs while driving is a good idea?

Accidents and air bags going off are so loud. It would destroy my ears and make tinnitus worse forever.

I just feel weird wearing plugs while driving since the chance of an accident is so little and I feel like I am taking extreme steps.

Any opinions?

 

[New Guy]

Not sure how your hearing is but I can hear things with plugs, or muffs, in/0n. They're just quieter.

I wear plugs or muffs if driving locally over 40 mph and long distances. I'm 7 months in.

 

[Jack Straw]

It's not good to overprotect your ears. Driving in a car for less than 8 hours when the decibel level inside is less than 85 DB is considered safe and will not to cause permanent damage. Unless driving is directly affecting your tinnitus (it's louder while driving because of the sound level), I see no reason to wear protection unless it goes beyond safe levels for certain lengths of time.

 

[another sean]

I wear ear plugs and ear muffs while driving. The last time I drove without protection, it raised my baseline permanently. Also the random Harley, horn or sports car would have trashed my hearing if I didn't have protection.

 

[Red]

I've been in a car accident where a bag was deployed (years prior to T). I'd be worried about earplugs/ear muffs hurting you during such an event.

Realize a lot of force is happening all at once. I could easily see earplugs damaging your eardrum. When I was in my accident I was punched in the face by my bag with enough force to make my entire face go numb for a day.

I would use them for noisy vehicles but maybe drive a quieter car instead? An inside of a car has to be pretty loud to even reach 70. (A large vehicle running on diesel) I only used earplugs driving over 8 hours down a highway. But I do keep earmuffs on my passenger seat in case an emergency vehicle comes along.

 

[Red]

Driving safely is a skill that not a lot of people seem to have but would suit you (us) well.

-Leave early. Being late will encourage you to take risk taking behavior
-Don't speed. (Or at least don't speed so far over the limit) The speed limits were calculated the way they are for a reason
-Check your rear view mirrors, especially after you stop
-Be careful of low visbility areas. Take your time in these areas! Long lines and traffic can impact visibility too
-Stop gradually not suddenly

 

[Wolfears]

Do you guys think wearing ear plugs while driving is a good idea?

Accidents and air bags going off are so loud. It would destroy my ears and make tinnitus worse forever.

I just feel weird wearing plugs while driving since the chance of an accident is so little and I feel like I am taking extreme steps.

Any opinions?

Put on ear muffs or ear plugs and try to tap on them lightly...you will be surprised how loud it can be.

Now imagine a side impact air bag hitting you in the side of the head full force while wearing them.

You could probably cause more damage to your ears that way than no plugs at all.

 

[New Guy]

Check your rear view mirrors, especially after you stop

Great tip! I check them as I'm stopping in case the person behind me is looking at their cell phone and doesn't stop.

 

[Sean]

I was thinking to wear plugs to protect from loud noise caused by air bag or car crash not because my car is loud. I have a very quiet car now.

 

[Alue]

It's not good to overprotect your ears. Driving in a car for less than 8 hours when the decibel level inside is less than 85 DB is considered safe and will not to cause permanent damage. Unless driving is directly affecting your tinnitus (it's louder while driving because of the sound level), I see no reason to wear protection unless it goes beyond safe levels for certain lengths of time.

The OSHA regulations for noise exposure (i.e. 8 hours at 85db TWA) is hilariously outdated.

The study the standards were based on was looking for permanent threshold shifts in large groups of industrial workers, and if the majority of workers did not see a permanent threshold shift the exposure level was deemed safe. Note, that's for the the majority of workers, some unlucky few still would lose hearing over time in an occupation at that level. Moreover, more recent research has shown that you can have significant hearing damage before ever seeing a permanent threshold shift. Many people with tinnitus and hyperacusis have a normal audiogram.

 

[Alue]

To answer Sean,

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It depends what I'm driving (I drive a lot of rental cars), and where / how far I'm driving. Some roads can be very noisy depending on how they are paved. I have found the Bose noise cancelling headphones to be excellent at cancelling out road noise when driving on the highway.

Edit: If it's for the slim chance of airbags only, it's probably not worth it.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Do you guys think wearing ear plugs while driving is a good idea?

I do not recommend the overuse of any hearing protection including earplugs. In the early stages of tinnitus particularly "noise induced" hyperacusis is often present. This can make the ears and auditory system hypersensitive to sound. This I understand having once had very severe hyperacusis. Therefore, if a person finds themselves in this situation, using earplugs when driving or being exposed to other types of sounds in their environment maybe beneficial. One must be very careful when pursuing this route, because other problems can result from the overuse of hearing protection that I have mentioned in some of my posts and articles.

It can become a big problem, resulting in a person being constantly oversensitive to sound.

Michael