Keep your eyes on the road. Naturally, it’s good advice, but it doesn’t say much about your other senses. As an example, think about how much work your ears are doing when you’re driving. You’re using your ears to connect with other individuals in your vehicle, call your attention to important information appearing on your dashboard, and help you monitor other vehicles.
So how you drive can change if you’re going through hearing loss. That doesn’t automatically mean you will have to stop driving because you’ve become overly dangerous. With regards to safety, inexperience and distracted driving are much greater liabilities. That being said, those with diminished hearing should take some specific safeguards to stay as safe as possible.
Hearing loss can impact your situational awareness but formulating good driving habits can help you remain a safe driver.
How your driving might be impacted by hearing loss
In general, driving is a vision-centric task (at least, if it’s not a vision-centric activity, something has gone wrong). Even full-blown hearing loss probably won’t keep you from driving, but it very likely may change the way you drive. After all, you use your hearing quite a bit while you’re driving. Here are some typical examples:
- Other motorists will often use their horns to alert you to their presence. If you fail to see the light turn to green, for instance, or you start to wander into the other lane, a horn can alert you before it becomes an issue.
- Your sense of hearing can help you have better awareness of other vehicles around you. For example, you will normally be able to hear a large truck coming toward you.
- Audible alerts will sound when your car is attempting to alert you to something, such as an unbuckled seat belt or an open door.
- If has any damage, your sense of hearing can alert you to it. For example, if you run over something in the road or a rock hits your windshield.
- Emergency vehicles can usually be heard before they can be seen.
All of these audio cues can help build your overall situational awareness. As your hearing loss progresses, you may miss more and more of these cues. But you can take some positive steps to keep your driving as safe as possible.
Practicing new safe driving habits
It’s no problem if you want to continue driving even after you have hearing loss! Here are some ways you can be certain to stay safe when out on the road:
- Minimize in-car noises: Hearing loss will make it difficult for your ears to separate noises. When the wind is howling and your passenger is talking, it might become easy for your ears to get overstimulated, which can cause fatigue and distraction. So roll up your window, turn down the music, and keep conversations to a minimum while driving.
- Put away your phone: Well, this is wise advice whether you suffer from hearing loss or not. Phones are among the leading causes of distraction on the road today. And when you have hearing loss that distraction is at least doubled. Keeping your phone stowed can, simply, keep you and other people safer–and save your life.
- Keep an eye on your instrument panel: Normally, when you need to pay attention to your instrument panel, your vehicle will ding or make some other sound. So you’ll want to make sure you glance down (when it’s safe) and confirm your turn signals aren’t still blinking, or your check engine light isn’t on.
- Pay extra attention to your mirrors: You may not be able to hear an ambulance pull up behind you–even with all those sirens going. So be vigilant about checking your mirrors. And generally try to keep an elevated awareness for emergency vehicles.
How to keep your hearing aid driving ready
Driving is one of those activities that, if you have hearing loss, a hearing aid can really help. And there are a few ways you can be certain your hearing aid is a real asset when you’re driving:
- Every time you drive, wear your hearing aid: If you don’t use it, it won’t help! So be sure you’re using your hearing aids every time you drive. This will also help your brain get used to the sounds your hearing aid sends into your ears.
- Get the most recent updates and keep your hearing aid charged and clean: When you’re half way to the store, the last thing you want is for your battery to quit. That can distract you and could even bring about a dangerous situation. So keep your batteries charged and ensure everything’s in working order.
- Have us dial in a driving setting for you: We can program a car setting into your hearing aid if you do a lot of driving. The size of the interior of your vehicle and the fact that your passengers will be talking to you from the side or rear will be the variables we will use to fine tune this “car setting” for smoother safer driving.
Hearing loss doesn’t mean driving is an issue, particularly with hearing aids which make it safer and easier. Your drive will be pleasant and your eyes will remain focused on the road if you develop safe driving habits.
