Bad Weather & Night Driving — British Columbia
British Columbia ICBC knowledge test practice: 343 free practice questions (178 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). Official test format: Class 7 passenger: 50 Q, pass 40 (80%); motorcycle 40/32; Class 1 60/48; Class 2-4 35/28; air brake 25/20. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 32 questions.
Rain, snow, ice, fog and night driving: visibility, traction and headlight use.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Bad Weather & Night Driving |
| License test | British Columbia Class 7 learner (L) knowledge test |
| Topic questions | 32 (9% of 343 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
icbc.com ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (32)
1. To drive safely when it is snowing, you should
- allow extra space margins ✓
- keep your car well tuned up
- brake every time you see a hazard
- turn on your high beam lights
Answer: A. allow extra space margins
When it is snowing, you should allow extra space margins. The emergency strategies chapter lists allowing extra space margins, including more following distance, among the actions for icy or snowy driving. It also says to avoid passing unless absolutely necessary, not to use cruise control, to slow down before curves because braking in curves may cause a skid, and to use gentle, smooth steering. Together these points support giving yourself more room so you can stop and keep control when the road is snowy.
2. In fog, day or night, a driver should reduce speed and use
- low beam lights ✓
- high beam lights
- hazard flashers
- parking lights
Answer: A. low beam lights
In fog, day or night, reduce your speed and use low beam lights. The handbook limits high beam use to unlit roads at night when no vehicle is approaching or in front of you, so high beam is not the setting for fog. It also says parking lights are for when you are stopped and want to be seen, not for driving; when moving, use the headlights. Daytime running lights are ruled out for low visibility conditions because they do not turn on the tail lights. That leaves low beam headlights as the supported choice when visibility is poor.
3. Bridges and overpasses
- tend to form ice on their surfaces before other road surfaces do ✓
- are not generally as slippery as the rest of the road
- lose their coat of snow first because it melts quickly
- are usually not as slippery as they look with snow on them
Answer: A. tend to form ice on their surfaces before other road surfaces do
Bridges and overpasses tend to form ice on their surfaces before other road surfaces do. The handbook lists bridges and overpasses as a hidden danger and states directly that they tend to ice up before other road surfaces. That means you should expect a bridge or overpass to be slick even when the road leading to it looks fine. The passage gives no support for treating them as less slippery or quicker to clear, so the only choice that matches the handbook is the one about ice forming early.
4. You should use your headlights when you can't see anything farther than
- 150 metres ✓
- 250 metres
- 300 metres
- 200 metres
Answer: A. 150 metres
You must turn on your headlights when you can't see more than 150 metres ahead. The handbook says headlights are required whenever visibility drops below 150 metres, and it gives fog and heavy rain as examples. Headlights help other drivers see you and help you see the road when conditions cut down how far you can see. So the distance tied to the headlight rule is 150 metres, not a longer one. The same chapter also mentions dimming your high beams within 150 metres of another vehicle, but that is a separate rule about high beams.
5. You must use your headlights
- from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise ✓
- from dawn to dusk
- from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- when you think it is dark enough
Answer: A. from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise
You must use your headlights from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. The handbook's night-hazards section gives the required headlight period as starting half an hour after sunset and ending half an hour before sunrise. It states this as a must, so the choice that matches those two boundaries is correct. The passage also describes low and high beams, but the question asks when headlights are required, and the stated window is the only timing rule given.
6. The best response when your car starts to skid is to
- ease off the accelerator and steer where you want to go ✓
- brake and steer in the direction of the skid
- steer away from the direction of the skid
- ease off the accelerator and steer away from where you want to go
Answer: A. ease off the accelerator and steer where you want to go
The best response is to ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly where you want the car to go. The handbook's skid steps say that when the rear of your vehicle starts to skid, you should ease off the accelerator and look and steer smoothly in the direction you want to go. It gives an example: if the rear skids right, steer right. It also warns not to brake, because braking will make the situation worse. That matches the answer: reduce power and aim the car where you want it, rather than braking or steering away from your intended path.
7. You must dim your high beam headlights when you are within
- 150 metres of a vehicle ✓
- 200 metres of a vehicle
- 100 metres of a vehicle
- 50 metres of a vehicle
Answer: A. 150 metres of a vehicle
You must dim your high beam headlights when you are within 150 metres of another vehicle. The handbook rule for night driving says high beams must be switched to low beams once you are within 150 metres of another vehicle, whether you are meeting it head-on or following behind it. The same chapter adds a courtesy point: most people misjudge distance, so dim early rather than waiting until you think you are exactly at the limit. The 150-metre figure is the one the handbook attaches to dimming your lights for other traffic.
8. The light has just turned green. What is the most immediate hazard for the motorcyclist in this picture?
- The driver of Car A may not see the motorcycle as he turns left and may hit him. ✓
- The motorcycle may skid in the rain.
- Car B behind the motorcycle may run into the back of him.
- Car A may skid in the intersection.
Answer: A. The driver of Car A may not see the motorcycle as he turns left and may hit him.
9. If your car starts hydroplaning, you should
- ease off the gas and drive straight ✓
- brake gently
- immediately steer to the side of the road
- brake hard
Answer: A. ease off the gas and drive straight
If your car starts hydroplaning, ease off the gas and keep driving straight while you let the tires regain contact, so the answer is easing off the accelerator and driving straight. The handbook's emergency chapters handle loss of grip the same way: in a skid, come off the accelerator and steer smoothly where you want to go, and it says plainly not to brake because braking makes things worse. The tire blowout section repeats it, warning that sudden braking risks losing steering control and that you ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually. Holding the car straight and just lifting off the gas keeps the car settled until the tires grip again. Hydroplaning itself is not described in these pages, but the same approach follows from them.
10. The most likely cause of skidding is
- poor driving skills ✓
- slippery conditions
- other drivers stopping suddenly
- cars in poor mechanical condition
Answer: A. poor driving skills
The most likely cause of skidding is poor driving skills. The handbook says this outright in its skid-control section: after telling you to think about whether weather will make the road slippery, it states that the most likely cause of skidding is poor driving skills. It repeats the point later, noting that rain and ice do contribute to skidding but that poor driving skills are the main cause. Skids happen when the tires lose grip, which can come from a slippery surface or from changing speed or direction too suddenly — and the handbook treats the driver's own choices as the leading factor.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · 178 official sample questions · Official driver handbook