Bad Weather & Night Driving — Kansas
Kansas motorcycle permit practice test: 280 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: 14 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 | Kansas Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 14 (5% of 280 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 (14)
1. 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.
2. Long-term exposure to wind noise:
- Is not a danger.
- Can cause irreversible hearing damage. ✓
- Is just part of riding a motorcycle.
Answer: B. Can cause irreversible hearing damage.
Long-term exposure to wind noise can cause irreversible hearing damage. The manual warns that engine and wind noise, over a long period, may permanently damage hearing even with a full face helmet. That makes wind noise a real hearing hazard rather than something harmless. It also says hearing protection can cut noise while still letting you hear horns or sirens, so you can guard your hearing without shutting out traffic sounds. Because the manual links steady wind noise to lasting damage, the answer about irreversible hearing damage fits best.
3. When riding on a slippery surface, you should:
- Avoid making sudden moves, as doing so could cause a skid. ✓
- Travel on the shoulder to be out of the way of traffic.
- Use only the rear brake because the front brake is ineffective on slippery surfaces.
Answer: A. Avoid making sudden moves, as doing so could cause a skid.
On a slippery surface, avoid making sudden moves, because any sudden change in speed or direction can cause a skid. The manual's slippery-surface section lists smoothing out everything you do as a basic rule: sudden changes in speed or direction can cause a skid, so you should speed up, shift, turn and brake as smoothly as possible. It also tells you to slow down before you reach the slippery area, since your motorcycle needs more room to stop. Together, these points make smooth, gradual control the right approach, and they are why the choice about avoiding sudden moves is correct.
4. 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.
5. When traveling at night, you should:
- Ride as fast as you would if riding during the day.
- Ride more slowly than you would if riding during the day. ✓
- Ride faster than you would if riding during the day.
Answer: B. Ride more slowly than you would if riding during the day.
At night you should ride more slowly than you would during the day. The manual explains that at night it is harder for you to see and to be seen, so you ride slower than you would in daylight. It points out that this matters most on roads you don't know well, and says the slower pace raises your chances of avoiding a hazard. The same night section also asks for more following distance because distances are harder to judge in the dark. Slowing down is the manual's own listed way to make up for reduced nighttime visibility.
6. When riding at night:
- Only ride in the left portion of the lane to better see around other vehicles ahead.
- Ride closely to the vehicle in front of you to most effectively use their headlights.
- Reduce your speed to increase your chances of avoiding an unexpected hazard. ✓
Answer: C. Reduce your speed to increase your chances of avoiding an unexpected hazard.
At night, reduce your speed to give yourself a better chance of avoiding an unexpected hazard. The manual says night riding makes it harder to see and be seen. In its night-riding advice, it lists reducing speed: ride slower than you would in daylight, especially on roads you do not know well, because this raises your chances of avoiding a hazard. The same section also says to increase following distance. That makes slowing down the supported choice here.
7. When riding in the rain, you should:
- Ride down the center of your lane.
- Ride on the right side of your lane.
- Ride in tire tracks left by other cars. ✓
Answer: C. Ride in tire tracks left by other cars.
Ride in the tire tracks left by other cars. The manual says the center of a lane can be hazardous when it is wet, so once rain starts you should 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 general slippery-surface advice also tells you to slow down before wet curves and avoid sudden moves, but the lane-position answer is the tire tracks. That is why the choice about riding in tire tracks matches the handbook.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook