Does driving high speeds with the windows open damage our ears in the same way really loud music does?
In: Biology
Loud music is too much air pressure hitting your ears, which damages them. Open windows cause a lot of turbulence, which also can result in too much air pressure.
In short. Yes.
In a bit longer way, yes. Motorcycles have this issue as well. The motorcyclist after a few years on the road starts getting some hearing loss, and while at first some assumed it was the engine, measurements show that in highway speeds wind easily surpasses 100+ decibels, which is well within the “damage” threshold. Add a couple of hours of that constantly, and you have a perfect recipe for tinnitus.
With cars you could get a tiny bit of absorption because of the…well…windshield, but that bwop bwop bwop that occurs in rapid fire is still pretty much as damaging as.
If it sounds loud, it is loud. If the turbulence is loud enough that you significantly notice it, it is probably causing minor damage.
Low frequency sounds can be listened to at higher volumes without damaging hearing. This means the low frequency loud resonance you get in the car with the windows down is less likely do damage your hearing than equally loud music with a range of frequency content. However **any** sound loud enough can damage your hearing, so I’m in no way saying windows down is safe. (Even sounds too high/low frequency to hear can cause damage)
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