Bad Weather & Night Driving — Hawaii
Hawaii motorcycle permit practice test: 342 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: 22 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 | Hawaii Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 22 (6% of 342 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 (22)
1. Which of the following surfaces does not provide poor traction?
- Wet pavement
- Dry pavement ✓
- Lane markings
- Snow
Answer: B. Dry pavement
Dry pavement is the surface that does not provide poor traction. The manual says a motorcycle handles better on surfaces that allow good traction. It then names surfaces with poor traction: wet pavement, especially just after rain starts and before oil washes to the side, plus gravel roads and places where sand and gravel collect. Dry pavement is not among those poor-traction surfaces. That makes it the choice that does not provide poor traction, since the passage treats wet and loose-material surfaces as the problem and dry pavement as the contrast.
2. Studies show that when motorcycles have their headlights turned on during the day:
- They are not as easy to see as other vehicles.
- They are more visible to other drivers than when their headlights are turned off. ✓
- Other drivers are often confused.
- They are less safe than when their headlights are turned off.
Answer: B. They are more visible to other drivers than when their headlights are turned off.
3. If your motorcycle begins to weave while you are riding over rain grooves or bridge gratings, you should:
- Relax, maintain a steady speed, and ride straight across the surface. ✓
- Tighten your hold on the handle grips and increase your speed to get past the hazard.
- Travel in a zigzag motion.
- Ride on the shoulder instead of on the grooves.
Answer: A. Relax, maintain a steady speed, and ride straight across the surface.
Relax, keep a steady speed, and ride straight across the rain grooves or bridge grating. The manual says rain grooves and bridge gratings can make a motorcycle weave, and the wandering feeling is usually not hazardous. It tells riders to relax, maintain a steady speed, and ride straight across. It also warns that crossing at an angle forces riders to zigzag, and that zigzagging is more hazardous than the wandering feeling. So the right response is to stay calm and cross without speeding up or steering back and forth.
4. When riding at night:
- Distances are easier to judge than they are during the day.
- Using a high beam headlight always makes it difficult to see.
- Use only one lane position.
- Reduce your speed. ✓
Answer: D. Reduce your speed.
When riding at night, you should reduce your speed. The manual's night-riding section says it is harder to see and be seen after dark, and it lists slowing down as a way to compensate. It tells you to ride slower than you would in daytime, especially on roads you do not know well, so you have a better chance to avoid a hazard. That matches the choice to reduce your speed. Other night-riding advice in the same passage, such as increasing following distance, also supports riding more cautiously after dark.
5. If you are riding when it starts to rain, it is a good idea to:
- Ride down the center of the lane.
- Increase your speed.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Pull onto the shoulder of the road.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When rain starts while you are riding, move to the tire tracks left by cars and ride there. The manual explains that the center of a lane can be hazardous when it is wet, and it gives a direct instruction for the moment rain begins: ride in the tire tracks left by vehicles. It adds that the left tire track is often the best position, depending on traffic and road conditions. The same section tells you to slow down on slippery surfaces, avoid sudden moves, and use both brakes gently, so the tire-track position is meant to be combined with a lower speed and smooth inputs.
6. A skidding rear tire:
- Is not serious.
- Eliminates your ability to change direction. ✓
- Will usually correct itself.
- Is only a concern if the front tire is also skidding.
Answer: B. Eliminates your ability to change direction.
A skidding rear tire eliminates your ability to change direction. The manual explains that too much rear brake pressure locks the rear wheel, and as soon as that wheel locks, you lose the ability to steer the bike. You only get control back by releasing the brake. It also warns that if the rear wheel is out of line with the front when you let go, the bike can snap upright and throw you off, so a rear-wheel skid is a serious situation that has to be handled, not ignored.
7. Of the following, which should you not do to improve your safety when riding at night?
- Increase your speed. ✓
- Reduce your speed.
- Use your high beam headlight whenever possible.
- Increase your following distance.
Answer: A. Increase your speed.
When riding at night, you should not increase your speed — slowing down is what the manual tells you to do. The manual's night-riding section starts from the fact that seeing and being seen are both harder after dark. Its advice is to ride slower than you would in daylight, especially on roads you don't know well, because that gives you a better chance of avoiding a hazard. Opening up a following distance of three seconds or more is listed alongside that. Speeding up works against all of this, so it is the one action on the list that doesn't belong.
8. If you can’t avoid a dangerously slippery surface, you should:
- Speed up and lean the motorcycle.
- Speed up and keep the motorcycle upright.
- Slow down and lean the motorcycle.
- Slow down and keep the motorcycle upright. ✓
Answer: D. Slow down and keep the motorcycle upright.
You should slow down and keep the motorcycle upright. The manual's slippery-surface section says to reduce speed before you reach a slippery surface to lessen the chance of a skid. It also calls for smooth, gradual control because a sudden change in speed or direction can cause a skid. When stopping, the manual says to straighten the handlebars in the last few feet to maintain balance and stay upright. Together, slowing down and staying upright is the safe response if you cannot avoid the slippery area.
9. When riding at night, you should:
- Be flexible about your lane position and adjust to changing conditions. ✓
- Travel at a faster speed than usual to get to your destination more quickly.
- Always use your low beam headlight to see better.
- Decrease your following distance so you can be as close as possible to the vehicle ahead.
Answer: A. Be flexible about your lane position and adjust to changing conditions.
At night you should be flexible about your lane position, changing to the part of the lane that helps you see, be seen, and keep a space cushion. The manual's night riding guidance says to change to whichever portion of the lane is best for seeing, being seen, and keeping an adequate space cushion. That matches being flexible about lane position and adjusting to conditions. The same section also tells you to slow down so your stopping distance stays within the distance your light shows you, and to use your high beam whenever you are not following or meeting a car. So the flexible lane position idea is the one drawn straight from the night riding rules.
10. When riding in fog, you should:
- Use your high beam headlight.
- Use your low beam headlight. ✓
- Use no lights.
- Alternate between the low and high beams.
Answer: B. Use your low beam headlight.
In fog, you should ride with your low beam headlight on. The manual's lighting guidance says to use low beam at night and in fog, and it notes that a motorcycle with its light on during the day is twice as likely to be noticed. So the low beam is the setting the manual names for foggy conditions, which is what the answer key calls for.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook