Bad Weather & Night Driving — Illinois
Illinois permit practice test: 368 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). Official test format: 35 Q (15 signs + 20), 80%. 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 | Illinois Car learner's permit test |
| Topic questions | 32 (9% of 368 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
ilsos.gov ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (32)
1. The road surface of a bridge may be dangerous in winter because it may remain icy after the rest of the roadway is clear.
- True ✓
- False
Answer: A. True
True. A bridge's road surface can stay icy after the rest of the roadway is clear. The Illinois handbook's winter driving section says to approach bridges, shaded spots, overpasses, and turns slowly. It explains that these places may remain icy after the rest of the roadway is clear and dry. That directly supports the statement that a bridge surface may be dangerous in winter for this reason.
2. To avoid hydroplaning while driving in rainy conditions, you should:
- Drive at a speed appropriate for ideal conditions.
- Apply your brakes as soon as your car starts to skid.
- Slow down. ✓
Answer: C. Slow down.
Slow down — that is the handbook's own advice for avoiding hydroplaning in rain. The Illinois handbook lists rain precautions and says plainly to slow down to avoid hydroplaning. It also tells you to turn off cruise control and leave more following distance, and to be extra careful on curves, turns and while braking. Reducing your speed is the step it ties directly to hydroplaning, so that is the choice that matches the handbook.
3. When driving under snowy or icy conditions, it is safe to use your cruise control as long as your speed is reduced.
- True
- False ✓
Answer: B. False
False — in snowy or icy conditions you should turn off your cruise control, and slowing down does not make it safe to leave it on. The winter driving section of the handbook tells you to drive slower and increase your following distance, and it lists turning off the cruise control as a separate step when the pavement is wet, icy, or snowy. That instruction comes with no exception for lower speeds. Cruise control holds a steady speed for you, so it works against the slower, more careful control the handbook asks for on snow and ice. Reducing your speed is one precaution; shutting off cruise control is another, and you do both.
4. While driving at night, a vehicle coming toward you has its high beams on, making it hard for you to see the road ahead. You should:
- Look ahead toward the left edge of your lane.
- Look ahead toward the right edge of your lane. ✓
- Look straight ahead in your lane.
Answer: B. Look ahead toward the right edge of your lane.
5. At dawn or dusk and in rain or snow, it can be hard to see and be seen. A good way to let other drivers know you are there is to turn:
- Up the instrumental panel lights.
- On your parking lights.
- On your headlights. ✓
Answer: C. On your headlights.
Turn on your headlights so other drivers can see you. The handbook ties headlights to both low light and bad weather. It says headlights must be on from sunset to sunrise and when rain, snow, fog, or other conditions require windshield wipers. It also notes that in rain you must use headlights when your wipers are on. At dawn or dusk, when it is hard to see and be seen, turning on headlights makes your vehicle visible to others. Parking lights are described for a vehicle stopped on a highway at night, not as the lights for driving in these conditions.
6. It is necessary to use your low beams any time you are:
- On a lighted street.
- On a freeway.
- In fog. ✓
Answer: C. In fog.
You need to use your low beams any time you are driving in fog. The handbook's fog section says to drive with your headlights set on dim or to use fog lights, and it warns against overdriving your headlights so you can stop within the distance you can see. Its study question also treats turning on high beams in fog as a false statement, which points the same way: dim beams are the setting to use when visibility drops. So fog is the condition listed here that calls for low beams.
7. Which of the following is most likely to be slippery in cold weather after snow or rain?
- A hilly, open road
- A residential road
- A road in a shaded area ✓
Answer: C. A road in a shaded area
A road in a shaded area is most likely to be slippery in cold weather after snow or rain. The handbook's winter driving section says to approach bridges, shaded spots, overpasses, and turns slowly. It explains that these places can stay icy after the rest of the road is clear and dry. A shaded area fits that warning because less sunlight reaches the pavement, so ice from snow or rain can linger there. That is why the shaded road is the best choice among these. The passage does not say every shaded road is icy; it says to treat shaded spots as possible ice hazards in winter.
8. When driving in fog, it is best to drive with:
- High beam headlights.
- Low beam headlights. ✓
- Four-way flashers.
Answer: B. Low beam headlights.
When driving in fog, use low beam headlights. The handbook's fog section says to drive with headlights set on dim or use fog lights, along with slowing down and increasing following distance. It also warns not to overdrive your headlights and to stay within the distance you can see. Dim headlights correspond to low beams, not high beams. That makes low beams the choice supported by the fog precautions.
9. When driving at night, you should:
- Always use your high beams.
- Look directly at the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.
- Increase your following distance. ✓
Answer: C. Increase your following distance.
When driving at night, increase your following distance so you have more room and more time to react to the car ahead. The handbook's following-distance section says the three-second rule applies on a good road in good weather, and that you should add more space whenever conditions are not good. Less light means you see less of the road and of what is happening in front of you, so the gap you leave should grow rather than stay at the fair-weather minimum. The weather sections follow the same pattern: in fog, rain, and winter conditions the handbook tells drivers to increase their following distance, and the reason behind all of these is the same - you need room to stop when you cannot see well or the surface is poor.
10. When driving in fog, you should:
- Use your high beam headlights.
- Use your parking lights.
- Use your low beam headlights. ✓
Answer: C. Use your low beam headlights.
When driving in fog, use your low beam headlights (dim your headlights). The Illinois handbook's fog precautions say to drive with your headlights set on dim or use fog lights, and to slow down and keep your following distance so you can stop within the limits of your vision. Dim beams point at the road instead of throwing light back at you, which is why the handbook pairs them with the advice not to overdrive your headlights. The study question in the same chapter also treats turning on high beams in fog as false.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook