Hearing impaired driver

99% of the time (assuming you check your mirrors) you will see them before you hear them. Especially with the windows up and the radio on. The problems could arise if you can't hear air leaks, motor noises, etc. I had to get a hearing aid to pass the test for my physical (the first two I passed with an audiometric test - the whisper test is BS). But as years go by your hearing dimishes. So the last time I had to spring for one hearing aid (you don't have to have two), and passed with that restriction on my physical. It is still a two year, not one. I asked the FMCSA to define hearing aid. You can buy hearing amplifiers that do about the same thing for under $50, but the ME said it had to be a hearing aid, which are really expensive. The prices have come down a lot lately though, if you have to use one.

 

I wear hearing aids in both ears due to what the doctor calls "profound deafness" Thanks US Army.
I still get a two year medical but it says that Hearing aids must be worn while driving". No problem.
I can hear sirens just fine but speech is almost impossible to understand if there's any background noise at all.
A good set of hearing aids will set you back a couple of thousand dollars. It's worth it.

 

First thing that goes are the upper decibels. I can barely hear women talk (maybe I am lucky). When my hearing dropped below 70% I had to get a hearing aid. I see now that medicaid is paying partial for them, so plan on trying those. The one now works but it amplifies everything. I could actually hear water running in my pipes. Sometimes it's nice not to hear everything, but makes watching TV a pain.

 

Get the kind with the volume control. Mine are Phonak behind the ear and they work pretty well.
You'll never hear as well as you did when you had good hearing but the difference good hearing aids make is very noticeable.
They must be pretty tough, too. I was half way through my shower the first day I wore them and remembered I had them in. They were drenched inside and out. I used a hair drier on them and they worked just fine.

 

Being digital I had the one I am using programmed on a computer, but yeah, it would be nice to turn the volume down without going back to the hearing center.

 

Depends on the company I only talk to my company via phone maybe once a month, everything is via email or QC