Why you shouldn’t be driving with your windows down during heatwave

A rare red weather warning has been issued by the Met Office as the UK prepares for an extreme heatwave this week.

The weather forecaster has predicted this week’s temperatures will exceed 37C in the shade and could even see them rise to 38C to 40C in some parts of England and Wales.

The hot conditions, which have been very rare in the UK until now, will also be accompanied by high humidity and very warm, humid, and sweaty nights.

So, while we can expect that most Brits are currently rushing to the shops to do a bulk order of fans, there’s another important factor to keep in mind.

There’s nothing worse than a boiling hot car, and when you’re travelling, it can be tempting to roll your windows down the full way to get the most of the breeze - but this could actually be having a worrying impact on your hearing.

An audiologist has warned that even just 15 minutes with the windows down, travelling at fast speeds, can damage your hearing.

While it's tempting to let your hair down in the breeze, it could cause issues with your hearing (Getty Stock Image)

Boots audiologist Darren Horne, told The Telegraph, “Prolonged or repeated exposure can start being harmful to hearing. Even just 15 minutes of driving at levels of 100dB can be harmful to someone’s ears.”

While Boots Hearingcare and MoneySuperMarket have warned that when driving at 70mph with the windows down, the noise inside the vehicle can reach 90-100db.

To put that statistic into perspective, it exceeds the noise made by power tools, and falls just below that of a concert.

As well as potentially causing damage to your ears, the audiologist explained that driving at high speeds with the windows down can cause ‘listening fatigue’.

Essentially, because you’re using so much brain power to process sounds with the loud noise, it means you can find yourself less responsive to important noises like sirens and car horns.

As per Audibel, it’s a feeling of mental and/or physical exhaustion caused by the constant effort it takes the brain to process sounds.

Horne added, “Prolonged or repeated exposure can start being harmful to hearing. Even just 15 minutes of driving at levels of 100dB can be harmful to someone’s ears

“At high noise levels, your ears and brain are constantly working harder just to pick up conversations, the radio and even external noises like car horns and sirens. That extra effort can lead to listening fatigue.”

A rare red weather warning has been issued in some parts of the UK (Getty Stock Image)

Alicia Hempsted, a van insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, also told the outlet that distracted driving is ‘one of the leading causes of accidents on UK roads, and noise is a distraction that doesn’t get nearly enough attention’.

She urged: “Car horns, sirens and other vehicle noises are all critical signals that drivers rely on for guidance, sometimes without even realising.”

Instead, the expert suggests keeping your windows closed when travelling faster than 50mph, especially for those who struggle with hearing already.

As for those who don’t have air conditioning, it’s recommended that you only open the windows partially rather than all the way

As part of the rare red heat warning in the UK, forecasters are saying that conditions will bring a risk to life and population-wide health impacts that are no longer limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat.

There is also a high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, with the loss of power and other essential services, such as water, electricity, gas, or mobile phone services.

And significantly more people will likely visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents, the Met Office said.

For information, help and advice on the heatwave, you can visit the Met Office website.