Lots of older individuals experience hearing loss, but does that mean it’s unsafe for them to drive? Driving habits differ amongst different people so the response isn’t clear-cut.
Even if some adjustments need to be made to the volume of the radio, hearing loss shouldn’t mean a competent driver needs to stop driving.
For individuals who commute frequently the question of whether hearing loss presents a threat while driving is a significant consideration. Is your hearing loss making you a dangerous driver?
Think beyond driving…
Early stage hearing loss probably won’t negatively effect your driving, but if it goes untreated, driving will become progressively more dangerous.
Johns Hopkins Medicine reports there is a definite relationship between hearing and brain health. Battling to hear forces your brain to use valuable resources just to understand what individuals are saying. It has a detrimental impact on cognition and can play a role in the onset of dementia. Driving is certainly off the table for someone who has dementia.
If you have hearing loss, can you still drive?
Driving requires good observational skills and some of that is auditory, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drive with hearing loss. Among the approximately 48 million Americans who have hearing loss, most of them still drive according to the Center for Hearing Communication.
Driving with hearing loss
You can still be a safe driver if you make some adjustments and use these tips.
Stop procrastinating
Come in to see us for a hearing exam and find out if hearing aids will help your situation. Hearing aids can help get rid of the “should I be driving with hearing loss” question.
Be a more observant driver
You will still need to be observant about what’s happening around your vehicle even if you have hearing aids.
Don’t let it get too loud in your car
This will let you focus your listening on driving without being distracted. Ask your passengers to chat more quietly and keep the radio down or off.
Keep an eye on your dash lights
It’s the little things that will add up when you drive with hearing loss. You may not be capable of hearing that clicking sound that your turn signal makes, for instance. You will have to rely on your eyes to compensate, so get in the habit of scanning your dashboard to see what your car is trying to tell you.
Make maintenance a priority
Maybe your car is making a strange noise in the engine but you can’t hear it. Get your car serviced regularly so you can avoid this significant safety hazard. For people with hearing loss, this is important, even more so than it would be for someone without hearing loss.
Pay close attention to other vehicles around you
This is a no-brainer for everybody but if you have hearing loss it’s even more poignant. You may not hear emergency sirens, for example, so if the cars are pulling off to the side, you should as well. watch to see how other drivers are responding to their surroundings to get hints on what you might not be hearing.
So is it possible to safely drive when you have hearing loss? That’s up to you. It is possible to be a safe driver even if your hearing isn’t what it used to be because odds are your other senses will help you make the adjustment. But if you’re feeling concerned about it, schedule an appointment to come see if we can help you better your situation, possibly by using hearing aids.
Call us right away to schedule your hearing test and look into hearing aid solutions for your unique lifestyle.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss
http://chchearing.org/facts-about-hearing-loss