Don’t take your eyes off the road. While this may be sound advice, how about your other senses? For example, think about the amount of work your ears are doing when you’re driving. You’re using your ears to engage with other people in your vehicle, alert you to important information coming up on your dashboard, and help you monitor other vehicles.
So how you drive can change if you’re experiencing hearing impairment. That’s not to say your driving will come to be excessively dangerous. When it comes to safety, inexperience and distracted driving are far greater liabilities. That being said, those with diminished hearing should take some specific safeguards to stay as safe as possible.
Hearing loss can affect your situational awareness but acquiring good driving habits can help you remain a safe driver.
How your driving could be impacted by hearing loss
Vision is the principal sense utilized when driving. Even total hearing loss most likely won’t stop you from driving, but it very likely could change the way you drive. While driving you do use your hearing a lot, after all. Some prevalent examples include:
- Even though most vehicles are designed to decrease road noise, your sense of hearing can raise your awareness of other vehicles. For example, you will usually be able to hear a large truck coming toward you.
- Emergency vehicles can often be heard before they can be seen.
- Your vehicle will often make audible noises and alerts in order to alert you to something (turn signals or unbuckled seat belts, for instance).
- If another driver needs to make you aware of their presence, they will usually beep their horn. If you fail to notice the light turn to green, for instance, or you begin to drift into the other lane, a horn can alert you before it becomes an issue.
- Your hearing will often alert you when your car has some kind of malfunction. For instance, if you run over an obstruction in the road or a rock hits your windshield.
By using all of these audio cues, you will be developing stronger situational awareness. You could begin to miss more and more of these audio cues as your hearing loss advances. But there are steps you can take to ensure you stay as safe as you can while driving.
New safe driving habits to develop
If you’re experiencing hearing loss and you want to continue to drive, that’s fine! Here are a few ways you can be certain to remain safe when out on the road:
- Minimize in-car noises: Hearing loss will make it hard for your ears to differentiate noises. When the wind is blowing and your passenger is talking, it may become easy for your ears to get overstimulated, which can cause fatigue and distraction. So roll up your window, turn down the volume, and keep the talking to a minimum while driving.
- Keep your phone stowed: Well, this is good advice whether you have hearing loss or not. Today, one of the leading reasons for distraction is a cellphone. And when you have hearing loss that distraction is at least doubled. You will simply be safer when you put your phone away and it could save your life.
- Don’t disregard your dash lights: Typically, when you need to pay attention to your instrument panel, your vehicle will ding or make some other sound. So periodically glance down to see if any dash lights are on.
- Check your mirrors more often: Even with sirens blaring, you may not hear that ambulance coming up behind you. So make sure you aren’t neglecting your mirrors. And keep the possible presence of emergency vehicles in mind.
Keeping your hearing aid road ready
Driving is one of those tasks that, if you are dealing with hearing loss, a hearing aid can really be helpful. And when you’re driving, use these tips to make your hearing aids a real advantage:
- Have us dial in a driving setting for you: We can program a car setting into your hearing aid if you drive a lot. This setting will be adjusted for the inside space and setup of your vehicle (where, normally, your passenger is to your side and not in front of you), making your drive smoother and more enjoyable.
- Keep your hearing aids clean, charged, and updated: When you’re half way to the store, the last thing you want is for your battery to die. That can be distracting and maybe even dangerous. So make sure everything is working properly and the batteries are charged.
- Every time you drive, wear your hearing aid: If you don’t use it, it won’t help! So make certain you’re using your hearing aids each time you get behind the wheel. By doing this, your brain will have an easier time getting used to the incoming signals.
Hearing loss doesn’t mean driving is an issue, especially with hearing aids which make it safer and easier. Your drive will be enjoyable and your eyes will remain focused on the road if you establish safe driving habits.