Bad Weather & Night Driving — Washington
Washington motorcycle permit practice test: 337 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: 18 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 | Washington Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 18 (5% of 337 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 (18)
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. If your front wheel begins to skid, you should:
- Keep the front brake engaged and ride out the skid.
- Keep the front brake engaged and release the rear brake.
- Immediately release and re-engage the front brake. ✓
- Release the front brake and increase the pressure on the rear brake.
Answer: C. Immediately release and re-engage the front brake.
If the front wheel begins to skid, immediately release the front brake lever and then reapply it smoothly with less pressure. The manual treats a locked front wheel as an emergency you must end right away: let go of the front brake lever the moment the wheel locks, then squeeze it back on smoothly with lighter pressure. It explains why this cannot wait — a front-wheel skid costs you steering control and balance immediately, so staying on the brake keeps the wheel locked and the bike unsteerable. Releasing and reapplying restores the roll of the front wheel while still giving you braking. The same manual gives the same instruction for a front wheel that locks during a quick stop.
4. When riding at night, you should:
- Decrease your following distance.
- Increase your following distance. ✓
- Ride faster than you usually would.
- Avoid using your high beam headlight.
Answer: B. Increase your following distance.
When riding at night, increase your following distance — open up a three-second gap or more. The manual explains that judging distance is harder after dark because your eyes depend on shadows and light contrasts to tell how far away something is and how fast it is closing. Its nighttime advice is to open up a three-second following distance or more, and to leave extra room when passing and being passed. So the correct response to darkness is more space, not less. The same section also pairs this with riding slower than you would in daylight.
5. When riding at night, you should do all of the following, except:
- Reduce your speed.
- Increase your following distance.
- Decrease your following distance. ✓
- Use your high beam light, if possible.
Answer: C. Decrease your following distance.
The one thing you should not do at night is decrease your following distance — you want more room, not less. The manual says following too closely is a common factor in motorcycle crashes, and that a rider normally needs at least a two-second gap behind a vehicle. At night it also tells you to slow down enough to stop within the distance your headlight shows you, and to use your high beam whenever you are not following or meeting a car. All of that points to keeping a bigger cushion after dark, so cutting your following distance goes against the manual's advice rather than being part of it.
6. Which of the following is not an example of a slippery surface?
- A gravel road
- A patch of leaves
- An ice patch
- Dry concrete ✓
Answer: D. Dry concrete
7. When it starts to rain, it is usually best to:
- Increase your speed.
- Exit the road.
- Ride in the tire tracks left by cars. ✓
- Ride in the center of the lane.
Answer: C. Ride in the tire tracks left by cars.
When it starts to rain, the best move is to ride in the tire tracks left by cars. The manual lists the center of a lane as a spot that can be hazardous when wet, and it says plainly that when rain begins 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 same section tells you to slow down before slippery surfaces and to avoid sudden moves, so your job in rain is to pick the less slippery part of the lane and keep your inputs smooth.
8. 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.
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. If you are riding over rain grooves or bridge gratings and your motorcycle begins to weave, you should:
- Brake suddenly.
- Steer in a weaving pattern.
- Relax, maintain a steady speed, and ride straight across the grooves. ✓
- Move to the leftmost portion of the lane.
Answer: C. Relax, maintain a steady speed, and ride straight across the grooves.
Relax, keep a steady speed, and ride straight across the grooves or grating. The manual says the wandering, uneasy feeling you get on rain grooves or bridge gratings is usually not dangerous by itself. What you should do is relax, hold a steady speed, and ride straight across. It also warns that crossing at an angle makes riders zigzag to stay inside the lane, and that zigzagging is much more hazardous than the wandering feeling the grooves give you. So the calm, straight-line approach keeps the bike predictable instead of adding extra steering movement.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook