Do you have a road trip coming up? Hearing aid technology is constantly advancing, often in response to the real-life needs of hearing aid users. A time when clear hearing ability is paramount to safety is when you’re driving your car. Because of this, there are some incredible features and technologies available for your hearing aids to help you drive safely and reach your destination with no hassle.
Background Noise Suppression
To some extent, hearing aids have long been able to suppress background noise, but with the advent of AI-powered digital sound processing, background noise suppression is even more sophisticated than ever. Smart digital processors sort incoming sounds before sending them to your ear, picking and choosing which to amplify, tone down or suppress altogether. Some examples of sounds that might be automatically suppressed are:
- Your car engine
- The heater or air conditioner
- Hearing aid feedback and wind noise
You need your complete focus while driving, and small background noises can really add up and tax your focus more than you realize. Hearing aids cut out that background noise entirely.
Microphone Directionality
Directional microphones are a huge leap in hearing aid technology, especially for hearing and understanding speech. These hearing aids can identify when someone near you is speaking and from which direction, then focus their internal microphone toward that person so you can better hear them. They can also reduce and filter out audio coming from other directions.
This can be incredibly helpful while driving. Under “default” hearing aid settings, you only hear about 60% of what your passengers say. While it’s true that having discussions while driving can be a major distraction from safe driving, it’s even more dangerous to expend extra focus on trying to understand something you can’t hear well. Additionally, missing conversations can be frustrating and may distract you from driving.
Streaming
If your hearing aids have Bluetooth capabilities—and many modern hearing aids do—check out the option of connecting them to your car’s audio. You can have navigation instructions, phone calls and any other audio streamed directly to your hearing aids, meaning you don’t have to fiddle with dials and buttons and potentially take your hands off the wheel.
Have a Good Road Trip!
With all the above features, hearing aids are designed to and capable of supporting safer driving by helping you hear what matters. That said, they work best when your settings and technology are kept up to date. Consider making an appointment for a hearing aid tune-up and cleaning before you go (maybe even at the same time you drop your car off for a pre-trip oil change) and discuss the options available to you while driving. We at Southwestern Hearing & Balance want your road trip to be as safe as possible. Contact us if you have any more questions about the awesome driving features available for hearing aids.