Driving is More Dangerous When You Have Reduced Hearing

Every time you step into a car and put the key in the ignition, you take your life and the lives of others into your hands. Driving is a complex skill that requires not only good vision but decent hearing as well. After all, you have to be able to see the cars and pedestrians around you and react at times to avoid a collision. Without good hearing, you can miss signs of imminent danger such as a horn honking or a fire truck or ambulance heading in your direction. You can also miss warning noises inside your car like the persistent beeping that lets you know your seat belt isn’t hooked properly or a sound letting you know that your car door or trunk isn’t closed properly.

How much does hearing loss impair driving skill? A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that adults with moderate to severe hearing loss experienced more difficulty driving when faced with auditory and visual distractors. This study points out how important it is for people with hearing impairment to limit distractions, such as talking to other passengers and listening to the radio while driving. One theory is that when you have to strain to hear what’s going on around you, it ties up some of the cognitive resources you need to carry out a task, such as driving safely.

Don’t put yourself or the people you love in danger when you drive. Get a hearing test to find out what degree of hearing loss you have. Then talk to a hearing care professional about how to support your hearing with the help of a hearing aid. Enhancing your ability to hear with a hearing aid can change your outlook, keep you safer and improve your quality of life.

References:

Journal of the American Geriatric Society. (2010). 58(6), 1097-1103.