Hearing loss is a common challenge for older individuals, but does it merit quitting driving? Driving habits differ amongst different individuals so the response isn’t clear-cut.
Even if some adjustments have to be made to the radio volume, hearing loss shouldn’t mean a seasoned driver needs to stop driving.
Whether hearing loss poses a risk while driving is an important consideration for people planning daily commutes or winter road trips. Is your hearing loss making you a unsafe driver?
Think beyond driving…
Early stage hearing loss likely won’t negatively effect your driving, but if it goes untreated, driving will become increasingly unsafe.
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 effect on cognition and can contribute to the onset of dementia. Driving is certainly off the table for someone who has dementia.
Should you drive if you have hearing loss?
You can continue to drive with hearing loss, but it should be mentioned that safe driving requires strong observational skills including auditory awareness. The Center for Hearing and Communication reports that about 48 million Americans have significant hearing loss, and a good portion of them still drive.
Tips for driving if you have hearing loss
You can still be a safe driver if you make some adjustments and follow these guidelines.
Quit putting off
Come in to see us for a hearing test and find out if hearing aids will help your condition. The question of whether you should be driving can be eliminated by using hearing aids.
When you drive, be more observant
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 noisy in your car
This will let you focus your listening on driving without being distracted. Ask your passengers to talk more quietly and keep the radio down or off.
Keep an eye on your dash lights
It’s the little things that will mount up when you drive with hearing loss. For example, you won’t hear that clicking noise that lets you know that your turn signal is on. You will have to rely on your eyes to pick up the slack, so get used to scanning your dashboard to see what your car is attempting to tell you.
Make maintenance a priority
Perhaps your car is making a weird noise in the engine but you can’t hear it. That is a major safety risk, so make a point of getting your car serviced routinely. For individuals with hearing loss, this is crucial, even more so than it would be for somebody who doesn’t have hearing loss.
Pay attention to other vehicles around you
Obviously, you would do that anyway, but you want to look for signs you may be missing something. You might not hear emergency sirens, for instance, so if the cars are pulling off to the side, you should too. Use the behavior of other drivers to get some visual clues about traffic patterns around you.
Can you drive when you have hearing loss? It’s really a personal choice. It is possible to be a good driver even if your hearing is not what it once was because odds are your other senses will help you make the adjustment. If the thought of this makes you anxious, though, then it’s time to consult us and find a solution to improve your situation, like wearing hearing aids.
Contact us today to schedule your hearing test and investigate hearing aid solutions for your distinctive lifestyle.
References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss
http://chchearing.org/facts-about-hearing-loss
