Bad Weather & Night Driving — Florida
Florida permit practice test: 630 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). Official test format: Class E: 50 Q, pass 40 (80%). Bad Weather & Night Driving: 38 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 | Florida Car learner's permit test (Class E) |
| Topic questions | 38 (6% of 630 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
flhsmv.gov ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (38)
1. Low beam headlights are effective for vehicles driving at speeds of up to:
- 10 mph.
- 25 mph. ✓
- 50 mph.
- 70 mph.
Answer: B. 25 mph.
2. Which of the following is true about driving on a wet roadway?
- As you drive faster, your tires become less effective. ✓
- Water does not affect cars with good tires.
- Deep water is less dangerous than shallow water.
- As you decrease your speed, the roadway becomes more slippery.
Answer: A. As you drive faster, your tires become less effective.
As you drive faster, your tires become less effective. The handbook's rain section warns that wet roads get slick and that speeding raises the risk of hydroplaning. It explains that hydroplaning is when your vehicle slides on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, so the tires are not touching the road and you can lose control. Because speeding is listed as something that increases that risk, going faster means your tires are less able to do their job. The same section also says low air pressure or bad tread makes hydroplaning more likely.
3. The risk of hydroplaning can can be reduced by driving:
- Through shallow water.
- More quickly.
- More slowly. ✓
- Through deep water.
Answer: C. More slowly.
Drive more slowly: reducing your speed lowers the chance that your tires ride up on a thin film of water. The handbook's rain section says to slow down when rain begins and when roads are slick. It explains hydroplaning as the vehicle sliding on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, and it lists speeding as something that raises that risk. Because speed is one of the factors the handbook ties to hydroplaning, driving more slowly is the choice that matches its guidance. The same section also warns against trying to drive through flooded water, so choosing a water depth to drive through is not the recommended approach.
4. Roads become very slippery:
- When it has been raining for an hour or more.
- The day after it rains.
- For the first 10 to 15 minutes of a rainstorm. ✓
- Right after the rain has stopped.
Answer: C. For the first 10 to 15 minutes of a rainstorm.
5. To drive safely at night, you should:
- Increase your following distance.
- Not drive if you are tired.
- Make sure your headlights are working properly.
- All of the above. ✓
Answer: D. All of the above.
6. Night driving can be more difficult than driving during the day because:
- Cars overheat more quickly at night.
- Visibility is reduced in the dark. ✓
- It is more likely to be raining at night.
- You are more likely to encounter a motorcycle at night.
Answer: B. Visibility is reduced in the dark.
Night driving is harder mainly because visibility is reduced in the dark, so you can't see as far or as clearly as you can in daylight. The handbook's low visibility section is built around one idea: anything that cuts down what you can see makes driving harder. It lists smoke, fog and heavy rain as things that affect your ability to see, and it tells you to turn on headlights, use low beams so glare doesn't bounce back at you, and use wipers and defrosters to get the clearest view possible. Darkness is the same kind of problem, so the answer points to reduced visibility as the reason night driving is more difficult.
7. When driving under icy or snowy conditions, which driving technique will help drivers avoid crashes?
- Add extra weight to their vehicles to improve traction.
- Get off the highways as quickly as possible.
- Engage the four-wheel drive on their vehicles.
- Reduce their speed and increase their following distance. ✓
Answer: D. Reduce their speed and increase their following distance.
Reduce your speed and increase your following distance when driving in icy or snowy conditions. The handbook says you are responsible for adjusting your speed to the weather and should drive slower during a storm. It also says to increase following distance in unfavorable weather, and that more space gives you more time to react. Lower speed and extra room together match the handbook's guidance for bad weather.
8. If your car starts to skid, turn your steering wheel:
- To keep the front wheels straight.
- In the direction you want the vehicle to go. ✓
- In the opposite direction of the skid.
- In any direction. It doesn't matter.
Answer: B. In the direction you want the vehicle to go.
If your car starts to skid, turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the vehicle to go. The Florida handbook's emergency section tells you to turn the vehicle's front tires toward where you want the vehicle to travel, and adds that this is the same as steering in the direction of the skid. So your hands follow your target, not the slide. The handbook gives this as the steering step in its skid guidance, alongside easing off the gas and avoiding hard braking where possible.
9. Hydroplaning is usually caused by:
- Excessive stops.
- Sudden stops.
- Sudden turns.
- Excessive speed. ✓
Answer: D. Excessive speed.
Hydroplaning is usually caused by excessive speed. The handbook explains hydroplaning as the vehicle sliding on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, so the tires lose contact and you can skid. It lists low tire pressure or bad tread as things that raise the risk, and it says speeding does too. That makes excessive speed the cause named in the choices. The passage also tells you to slow down in rain and increase following distance, which fits the same idea: keeping speed down helps your tires stay in contact with the road.
10. You are driving at night and another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction. Your headlights:
- Should be on their high beam setting.
- Should be on their low beam setting. ✓
- Should be off. Use your parking lights.
- May be on either their high or low beam setting.
Answer: B. Should be on their low beam setting.
Use your low beam headlights when another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction at night. The Florida handbook says that at night the glare from oncoming traffic can make it harder to see. It also states Florida law requires you not to use high beam headlights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, and to use low beam headlights instead. So when a car approaches from the opposite direction, your headlights should be on low beam. This keeps your lights from adding to the glare the other driver already faces and follows the rule for oncoming traffic.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook