How Do People with Tinnitus Cope with Train Horns at Railroad Crossings?

[pinereader]

I've noticed that train horns at at-grade railroad crossings are extremely loud, even from far away. According to NTSB rules, train horns are required to be 96–110 dB from 100 feet away. However, these horns can reach 130–150 dB at the source. That's an entirely different level of loudness on the decibel scale. To make matters worse, the honking is often prolonged, sometimes lasting several seconds. Unfortunately, many US cities have numerous at-grade railroad crossings, and train engineers are required to blow the horn at each crossing.

If I'm unlucky enough to be directly across the street when a train is honking, my tinnitus would likely worsen, even with earplugs. The problem is compounded by the fact that many businesses are located near these crossings. How do you deal with train crossings? Do you avoid visiting businesses near them?

I honestly can't find a good solution to this issue. In my opinion, these train horns pose one of the biggest and most common threats to tinnitus sufferers in modern society. I'm surprised there isn't more discussion about this topic.

Thank you for reading.

 

[object16]

@pinereader, there really is not much of a good answer. If I see a train approaching, I head in the opposite direction in a hurry.

I have been trapped inside a medical hospital when the fire alarm went off. That gave me a tinnitus spike for probably six months. I had to sell my house and move. Not everyone has that option, and even then, you might end up in a new house with the same issues. I was just fortunate that my new house is ideal in that regard.

You never know when you might get a new neighbor with a jacked up pickup truck running straight pipes. Anything can happen. For me, almost anything that could happen has.

The only thing I have never experienced is military service. No military explosions, no shooting ranges. But besides that, anything you can imagine—and then some.

All I can say is at least I am 68, and one day, they will be scattering my ashes somewhere. In the meantime, it is pretty much the worst thing possible.

 

[Joey72]

@pinereader, there really is not much of a good answer. If I see a train approaching, I head in the opposite direction in a hurry.

I have been trapped inside a medical hospital when the fire alarm went off. That gave me a tinnitus spike for probably six months. I had to sell my house and move. Not everyone has that option, and even then, you might end up in a new house with the same issues. I was just fortunate that my new house is ideal in that regard.

You never know when you might get a new neighbor with a jacked up pickup truck running straight pipes. Anything can happen. For me, almost anything that could happen has.

The only thing I have never experienced is military service. No military explosions, no shooting ranges. But besides that, anything you can imagine—and then some.

All I can say is at least I am 68, and one day, they will be scattering my ashes somewhere. In the meantime, it is pretty much the worst thing possible.

Same here. I'm 75. I am glad it'll be over soon.