Driving with hearing loss

[CharlotteFry]

Hello Everyone
I am currently working of a project to design a device to assist people with hearing impairment to detect an approaching emergency vehicle. I have been looking into ways of detecting the siren when it is approaching and conveying this to the driver. I would really appreciate any feedback on this and also any comments or response to the following areas I am investigating:
<O:p</O:p
- Do you prefer to drive with a hearing aid or is background noise an issue?
<O:p</O:p
- What would be the priority in a device, accurate detection from a distance, direction of noise, identifying multiple emergency vehicles or another?<O:p
</O:p
- What would be the most informative method for relaying the information; visually or sensory e.g. vibration or similar?
<O:p</O:p
- Would a permanent device or portable device be preferred?
<O:p</O:p
Thanks for your help!<O:p</O:p
Charlotte Fry<O:p</O:p

[xbulder]

Hello Everyone
I am currently working of a project to design a device to assist people with hearing impairment to detect an approaching emergency vehicle. I have been looking into ways of detecting the siren when it is approaching and conveying this to the driver. I would really appreciate any feedback on this and also any comments or response to the following areas I am investigating:
<O:p</O:p
- Do you prefer to drive with a hearing aid or is background noise an issue?
<O:p</O:p
- What would be the priority in a device, accurate detection from a distance, direction of noise, identifying multiple emergency vehicles or another?<O:p
</O:p
- What would be the most informative method for relaying the information; visually or sensory e.g. vibration or similar?
<O:p</O:p
- Would a permanent device or portable device be preferred?
<O:p</O:p
Thanks for your help!<O:p</O:p
Charlotte Fry<O:p</O:p

you need to know what instrument they are wearing prior to know if they prefer to drive
with a hearing aid while driving. You also need to ask if the window is up or the window is down. How long have they wear hearing aids for and possibly they audiogram. All this are relevant questions

[TerryB]

Web search shoved several devices available. Perhaps you have seen or should look in order to choose a novel approach?

TerryB

[BlueSumos]

Web search shoved several devices available. Perhaps you have seen or should look in order to choose a novel approach?

TerryB Terry, can you provide the links or at least what your search wording was? Anything I find is either discontinued or in patent stage. Haven't found anything actually for sale.

[TerryB]

Used "emergency vehicle detection for the deaf"

I'll admit I did not go into many articles, many are undoubtedly of little use to you.


TerryB

[BlueSumos]

Thanks TerryB. Unfortunately, it looks like it's mostly "talk" and no actual equipment...yet. At least I didn't find anything "for sale". :(

[ABB]

My answers are in bold.
Hello Everyone

<O:p</O:p
- Do you prefer to drive with a hearing aid or is background noise an issue? I wear my hearing aids in the car.
<O:p</O:p
- What would be the priority in a device, accurate detection from a distance, direction of noise, identifying multiple emergency vehicles or another?<O:p For me, the priority would be the direction of the noise and then maybe indentification.
</O:p
- What would be the most informative method for relaying the information; visually or sensory e.g. vibration or similar?
<O:p</O:p My preference would be the it show up on my car's GPS system as a flashing light.
- Would a permanent device or portable device be preferred? I'd like for it to be available on all GPS devices, permanent or portable.
<O:p</O:p

[sonia77]

In fact, people with long-standing, severe hearing losses are some of the safest drivers around. One of the reasons for this is that we have to rely almost ...
Shocking as it may seem to hearing people, some of us choose not to wear our hearing aids when we drive. As “Anna” explains, “I would rather drive without my hearing aids because there is no noise distraction. And I’ve never had an accident.”

If you have recently lost much of your hearing, you need to retrain yourself to rely on your eyes, not your ears. Always be aware what is going on in front and behind you—and not just the immediate car in front and behind you either, but as far as you can see in both directions—and know what is going on in the lanes on both sides of you. Use your mirrors—all three of them. When you consistently do this, you will seldom have problems in your everyday driving due to your lack of hearing.

[Hask12]

While I agree with the comments about HOH and their ability to drive safely emergency vehicles are a problem. The fact that everyone is sitting still because one is approaching can be a bit confusing and where they are coming from just compounds the problem. I can't hear it and if I can't see it then it doesn't exist.

[rashkolnikov]

The device would ideally both accurately detect approaching emergency vehicles from a distance and give some indication of their direction. One needs to have time to safely pull to the side of the road, but if the emergency vehicle is coming the opposite direction down a divided highway or passing over your head on a bridge, then what's the point. The device should be portable so that you could take it in whatever vehicle you're driving. I'd personally prefer visual indications. Moreover, I like the idea that it could be added to a GPS computer and it would be great, if possible, to create an application for smartphones, though I know that'd probably just be to good to be true.

[lohearn]

With my unilateral loss I find it close to imposssible to tell where the sound is coming from. With one "normal" ear I can still hear the emergency vehicle without any problem, but I can't tell what direction it's coming from. I do not wear a hearing aid.