Bad Weather & Night Driving — Oregon
Oregon motorcycle permit practice test: 345 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: 23 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 | Oregon Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 23 (7% of 345 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 (23)
1. 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.
2. When riding at night, you should do all of the following, except:
- Use your high beam.
- Use the headlights of vehicles ahead to help you see.
- Be visible.
- Ride only in the left portion of your lane. ✓
Answer: D. Ride only in the left portion of your lane.
The exception is riding only in the left portion of your lane — at night you should change lane position as conditions warrant, not lock yourself into one spot. The manual tells night riders to be flexible about lane position and to move to whichever portion of the lane helps them see, be seen, and keep a space cushion. It also says no part of the lane needs to be avoided, including the center, and that you should vary your position as traffic changes. Using your high beam when you are not following or meeting a car, steering by the taillights of vehicles ahead, and wearing reflective material are all recommended for night riding. Staying put in the left portion is the one item that goes against the manual's advice.
3. During the day, your headlight should:
- Not be used.
- Be used on its high beam setting. ✓
- Be used on its low beam setting.
- Alternate between high beam and low beam settings.
Answer: B. Be used on its high beam setting.
During the day, ride with your headlight on the high beam setting. The manual treats daylight riding as a visibility problem, noting that a motorcycle running with its light on during the day is twice as likely to be noticed. It also tells you to get all the light you can and to keep the high beam on whenever you are not following or meeting a car. Since nothing is in front of you in that situation, the setting that gives the most light and the most attention is the high beam. The manual reserves low beam for night riding and fog.
4. Slippery surfaces can make it difficult to control a motorcycle. Which of the following would be considered a slippery surface?
- Wet pavement ✓
- A driveway
- Dry pavement
- A parking lot
Answer: A. Wet pavement
Wet pavement is the slippery surface among these choices. The manual lists wet pavement as a surface that gives poor traction, especially just after rain begins and before oil washes away. It says motorcycles handle better on surfaces with good traction, so a wet road is the kind of slippery surface where control can be harder. The other choices are not named as slippery surfaces in the passage. That direct listing supports choosing wet pavement.
5. Riding at night is usually:
- Easier than riding during the day because you can more easily see the lights of other vehicles.
- More difficult than riding during the day because it is harder to see. ✓
- Not allowed on highways.
- Less distracting than riding during the day.
Answer: B. More difficult than riding during the day because it is harder to see.
Riding at night is more difficult than riding during the day because it is harder to see. The manual says plainly that at night it is harder for you to see and be seen, and that other drivers find it hard to pick your headlight or taillight out of the surrounding car lights. It also notes that distances are harder to judge in the dark because your eyes depend on shadows and light contrast. That is why it tells riders to slow down, keep a bigger following gap, and use the headlights of the car ahead to help read the road.
6. 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.
7. When riding on a slippery surface, you should:
- Increase your speed.
- Make sudden moves.
- Move to the edge of the road.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
Answer: D. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
Ride in the tire tracks left by cars, since the center of a wet lane can be hazardous and the tire tracks give you a better surface. The manual says the center of a lane can be dangerous when it is wet, so once rain starts you should ride where vehicles have already cleared a path — in their tire tracks. It adds that the left tire track is often the best spot, depending on traffic and road conditions. The same section tells you to slow down before a slippery surface and to stay smooth, so the tire-track position fits with a lower, steadier approach rather than a faster one.
8. When it is raining, it is usually best to:
- Ride in the center of the lane.
- Pull off to the side of the road until the rain stops.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Increase your speed.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When it is raining, the best choice is to ride in the tire tracks left by cars. The manual explains that the middle of a lane can be a bad place to be once rain starts, so you should put your wheels where other vehicles have already driven. Those tracks give you a better surface than the slick center. It adds that the left track is often the best spot, depending on traffic and road conditions, and reminds you to slow down and stay smooth on any wet surface. So following car tracks is the riding position the manual recommends, not stopping or speeding up.
9. Motorcycle headlights are:
- Usually more powerful than a car’s headlights.
- Usually just as powerful as a car’s headlights.
- Usually not as powerful as a car’s headlights. ✓
- Usually larger than a car’s headlights.
Answer: C. Usually not as powerful as a car’s headlights.
10. It is difficult for other motorists to see motorcycles at night. To make up for that, a motorcycle rider should:
- Reduce their speed when riding at night. ✓
- Sound their horn repeatedly when riding at night.
- Not ride at night.
- Stay directly in front of another vehicle to be seen in their headlights when riding at night.
Answer: A. Reduce their speed when riding at night.
Slow down at night — ride slower than you would in daylight, especially on roads you don't know well. The manual lists reducing speed first among the ways to make up for how hard night riding is. Because other drivers struggle to pick your headlight or taillight out of the surrounding car lights, and because you see less yourself, riding slower gives you more time to spot a hazard and avoid it. The manual ties this advice specifically to unfamiliar roads, where you have less idea what is coming. Sounding the horn or staying home is not part of the guidance.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook