Why are cars difficult listening environments?

It’s a question we get often: why do I find it so hard to have a conversation in the car? Hearing in the car is one of the most difficult listening environments. There is a lot of different background noise going on as well as a lot of things to concentrate on…

What is affecting my ability to hear well in the car?

There is so much background noise going on while on a car journey – no matter if you are the driver or the passenger. The engine noise of the car is the first, unless of course you are travelling in an electric car. There is also the noise from the radio and the heating or air conditioning system. Road noises from other cars include their engines, screeching tyres, horns beeping and even emergency sirens. All of this background noise put together makes it a difficult listening environment, particularly if you have a hearing loss.

How can I improve the listening environment?

There are a few things you can try to keep the background noise to a minimum in the car:

• Have the radio on a low volume, or even off altogether
• Keep all of the windows closed
• If possible, try and avoid competing with other passengers and their conversations

After trying all of the above, if there’s no difference, it is probably time you thought about booking in for a hearing consultation. If you are a hearing aid wearer, it could be that there’s been a change in your hearing and your settings need updating. If you don’t have hearing aids, it might be a sign that you have an untreated hearing loss.

Hearing loss treatment

If you have a hearing test and there is a hearing loss present, this can be easily treated by prescribing hearing aids. Hearing aids are super high tech, some even feature AI technology, and can be programmed to deal with environments where background noise is an issue. A hearing care professional can create a specific listening program that can be selected when travelling in the car with the right settings to meet your needs.

If this all sounds too familiar, it’s time to book in for a hearing consultation. A hearing consultation with us consists of a hearing test and a demonstration of hearing aids. Hearing aids are generally then available to be fitted within a week or two! If you’d like any further advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.