Bad Weather & Night Driving — Alabama
Alabama motorcycle permit practice test: 325 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. Bad Weather & Night Driving: 20 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 | Alabama Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 20 (6% of 325 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
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Questions (20)
1. When riding at night, you should:
- Decrease your following distance.
- Avoid using your high beam headlight.
- Reduce your speed. ✓
Answer: C. Reduce your speed.
At night you should reduce your speed, riding slower than you would during the day, especially on roads you don't know well. The manual lists three ways to make up for how hard it is to see and be seen after dark, and reducing speed comes first. Riding slower than you do in daylight, particularly on unfamiliar roads, gives you more time to spot a hazard and react to it. The manual pairs this with opening up your following distance to three seconds or more and using the headlights of the car ahead to help you read the road.
2. When it starts to rain, it is usually best to:
- Ride in the center of the lane.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Pull to the side of the road until the rain stops.
Answer: B. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When it starts to rain, ride in the tire tracks left by cars. The manual warns that the center of a lane can be hazardous when wet, and tells you that once rain begins you should ride in the tire tracks left by vehicles. It notes the left tire track is often the best spot, depending on traffic and road conditions. The general slippery-surface guidance in the same section backs this up: slow down before the surface gets slick, stay smooth with speed, direction and braking, and ride on the least slippery part of the lane.
3. It can be difficult to ride right after it starts raining because:
- Some other drivers may not react quickly enough to the rain.
- Pavement will be especially slippery. ✓
- Other drivers do not drive fast enough in wet weather.
Answer: B. Pavement will be especially slippery.
Riding right after it starts raining is difficult because the pavement will be especially slippery. The manual lists wet pavement as a poor-traction surface and singles out the period just after rain begins, before surface oil has washed to the side of the road. That oily film makes the pavement especially slippery. On a motorcycle, poor traction raises the chance of a skid, so the manual tells riders to slow down before slippery surfaces and to avoid sudden changes in speed or direction. Because the question asks why riding is hard right after rain starts, the slippery pavement is the direct reason.
4. If you are riding behind another vehicle at night, you can determine if there are bumps on the road ahead by:
- Listening for the other vehicle scraping against the pavement.
- Noticing the other vehicle’s taillights bouncing up and down. ✓
- Looking at the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead and trying to determine if it is bouncing.
Answer: B. Noticing the other vehicle’s taillights bouncing up and down.
You can spot bumps ahead at night by watching the taillights of the vehicle in front of you bounce up and down. The manual's night riding section tells you to use the car ahead, because its headlights show you the road better than your own high beam. It adds that taillights bouncing up and down can alert you to bumps or rough pavement. So the movement of the vehicle ahead is your early warning: if its lights bob, the surface under it is uneven and you should expect the same thing when you reach that spot.
5. When traveling at night, it is:
- Easier to judge distances than it is during the day.
- About as easy to judge distances as it is during the day.
- More difficult to judge distances than it is during the day. ✓
Answer: C. More difficult to judge distances than it is during the day.
At night, judging distances is more difficult than it is during the day. The manual explains that your eyes depend on shadows and light contrasts to work out how far away something is and how fast it is approaching. At night those cues are weaker, so distances are harder to judge. That is why the manual tells riders to open up a three-second following distance or more and to allow extra room when passing or being passed. Night riding simply gives you less reliable information about spacing, so the answer is that judging distance becomes harder, not easier or the same.
6. When it starts raining, it is best to:
- Get off the road.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles. ✓
- Ride in the center portion of the lane.
Answer: B. Ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles.
When it starts raining, you should ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles. The manual warns that the center of a lane can be hazardous when wet, and it gives a specific instruction for the start of rain: use the tracks vehicles have made. It adds that the left track often works best, depending on traffic and road conditions. The aim is to choose the least slippery part of your lane and stay smooth, since wet pavement gives your tires less grip. Getting off the road or aiming for the lane center does not follow that wet-weather guidance.
7. If your motorcycle begins to weave while you are riding over rain grooves or bridge gratings, you should:
- Speed up to get over the surface faster.
- Exaggerate the zigzag motion to get the attention of other drivers.
- Maintain a steady speed and ride straight across the grooves or gratings. ✓
Answer: C. Maintain a steady speed and ride straight across the grooves or gratings.
Maintain a steady speed and ride straight across the grooves or gratings. The manual says rain grooves and bridge gratings can make a motorcycle weave, but the wandering feeling is usually not dangerous. Its advice is to relax, keep a steady speed, and ride straight across. It also warns that crossing at an angle makes riders zigzag to stay in the lane, and that zigzagging is more hazardous than the wandering feeling itself. So the safe response is not to hurry or swerve, but to stay steady and go straight.
8. To improve your chances of being seen, you should:
- Use your headlight only at night or when conditions reduce visibility.
- Always use your headlight. ✓
- Add an orange tint to your headlight.
Answer: B. Always use your headlight.
Always use your headlight, keeping it on so other drivers have a better chance of seeing you. The manual lists using your headlight among the things that make you visible, and it tells riders to ride with the headlight on when approaching intersections. It does not limit headlight use to nighttime or poor visibility. Since the goal is being seen by other drivers, the habit supported by the manual is to have the headlight on rather than saving it for dark or dim conditions.
9. When it starts to rain, it is usually best to:
- Ride in the center of the lane.
- Pull onto the shoulder and wait for it to stop raining.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles. ✓
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles.
When it starts to rain, the best choice is to ride in the tire tracks left by other vehicles. The manual says the center of a lane can be hazardous when wet, and it tells riders to use the tire tracks left by vehicles when rain begins. It adds that the left tire track is often the best position depending on traffic and road conditions. That matches the bank answer. This guidance is about choosing a better part of the lane in wet conditions, not about leaving the road.
10. What should you do if you must ride on a slippery surface?
- Slow down ✓
- Accelerate
- Make sudden moves
Answer: A. Slow down
When you have to ride on a slippery surface, slow down — reduce your speed before you reach it. The manual's slippery-surface advice starts with reducing speed: slow down before you get to the slick spot to lessen your chances of skidding, because the motorcycle needs more distance to stop. It adds that cutting speed before entering wet curves matters a lot. The other guidance on that page (smooth inputs, gradual brake pressure) works only if you have already slowed down, so speed reduction comes first.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Not yet verified
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook