10.1 Reduced Visibility: Fog, Rain, Glare, and Night Riding
Key Takeaways
- In fog, never use high beams — the light reflects off the fog wall and blinds you; use low beams or fog lights and slow down
- The first rain after a dry spell lifts oil and rubber dust to the surface, making intersections especially slippery for the first 30–60 minutes
- You must dim your high beam within 150 metres of another vehicle, whether meeting or following it, and never override your headlight — ride slowly enough to stop within the distance it lights, especially in curves where a leaned motorcycle lights less road
- Class 6L and 8L riders may ride only between sunrise and sunset, and the motorcycle skills test does not lift that restriction
- Increase your following distance to at least four seconds in rain and fog so you have time to react to spray and sudden stops
Why Visibility Matters for Riders
A motorcycle rider depends on vision more than any other road user. You balance on two wheels, steer by looking where you want to go, and scan 12 seconds ahead as part of the See-Think-Do strategy. When fog, rain, glare, or darkness cut that vision down, every decision you make — speed, lane position, following distance — has to adjust with it.
The guiding rule for every reduced-visibility condition is simple: never ride faster than you can see and stop. ICBC has a name for breaking it — overriding your headlight, which means riding so fast that you cannot stop within the distance your headlight shows you. If spray from a truck hides the car in front, you need enough following distance to react when that car brakes hard.
Fog
Fog is the most dangerous visibility hazard because it shrinks your view in both directions — you can't see far ahead, and drivers behind you can't see you. It also distorts perception: objects appear farther away than they are, and sound is muffled so you can't rely on hearing traffic.
How to Ride in Fog
- Slow down before you enter the fog — most fog-related crashes happen because riders enter at full speed and can't stop in time
- Use low beams or fog lights, never high beams — high beams reflect off the water droplets and create a white wall in front of you
- Increase following distance to at least four seconds so the vehicle ahead stays visible through the spray
- Make yourself visible — wear bright or reflective gear, and use your headlight (low beam) even in daylight fog
- Use the right edge of your lane as a reference so oncoming headlights don't pull you out of position
- Pull off and wait if visibility drops below a few seconds of following distance — no schedule is worth a fog-line crash
Exam point: High beams in fog reflect light back at you. The instinct to switch to high beams is wrong — low beams or dedicated fog lights are the correct choice.
Heavy Rain
Rain reduces visibility two ways: the falling water cuts your forward view, and spray from other vehicles — especially trucks and buses — can completely blind you for several seconds. Rain also reduces traction (covered in 10.2), so the visibility problem and the traction problem compound each other.
How to Ride in Heavy Rain
- Reduce speed before the rain starts — the first 30–60 minutes of rain are the most dangerous because oil and rubber dust rise to the surface
- Increase following distance to four seconds or more so you have time to react to spray and sudden stops
- Watch for spray from oncoming trucks and buses — a wall of water can hit you with no warning; grip the bars firmly and don't swerve
- Keep your visor clean and treated with a water-repellent product so rain beads off instead of sheeting across your field of view
- Use low beams so other drivers see you; high beams scatter in the rain the same way they do in fog
- Avoid the oily centre of the lane at intersections — that's where cars drip, and the first rain lifts that oil up
Glare
Glare comes in two forms. Sun glare happens at dawn and dusk when the sun is low on the horizon, and it's worst when you're riding directly into it. Reflected glare comes off wet roads, snow, and the windshields of oncoming vehicles. Both temporarily blind you and make it harder for other drivers to see you.
How to Handle Glare
- Wear sunglasses or a tinted/anti-glare visor during the day — a dark visor for bright sun, a yellow one for low-angle dawn/dusk glare
- Keep your visor or face shield clean — a smudged visor scatters light and makes glare far worse
- Adjust your riding time or position when possible — if the sun is dead ahead at 7 a.m. on your commute, leave 10 minutes earlier or take a route that turns away from it
- Use the sun visor on a full-face helmet if yours has one; drop your chin slightly so the helmet peak shades your eyes
- Be predictable to others — when you're riding into a low sun, drivers behind you are looking into the same sun and may not see you at all; tap your brake light early
Exam point: A dirty visor makes glare worse because the grime scatters light across the shield. Cleaning your visor before a ride is a visibility action, not just a comfort one.
Night Riding
Night riding cuts your view to the reach of your headlight and removes the colour and contrast that help you spot hazards during the day. Animals, dark-coloured vehicles, pedestrians in dark clothing, and unlit obstacles all become nearly invisible until the last second.
How to Ride at Night
- Know the headlight law. You must have your headlight on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise, and any time your visibility drops below 150 metres. Most modern motorcycles run the headlight whenever the engine is on.
- Dim your high beam within 150 metres of another vehicle — whether you are meeting it or following it. ICBC advises dimming early, because most people misjudge distance.
- Don't override your headlight. You must be able to stop within the distance the headlight shows you. This matters most in curves: with the motorcycle leaned over the headlight illuminates less of the road, so ride curves more slowly at night.
- Don't use a tinted faceshield or goggles at night — or in the rain. Carry a clear shield.
- Glance to the right edge of the road to avoid being dazzled by oncoming headlights, and use other vehicles' lights to read the boundaries of the road ahead.
- If one beam burns out, use the remaining beam to get safely off the road.
- Increase your space margin — ride slower, leave more following distance, and give yourself more room on the sides
- Watch for animals, especially deer, which are most active at dawn and dusk and often freeze in the headlight
- Watch for unlit objects — parked cars, road debris, and pedestrians in dark clothing don't show up until you're close
- Keep your headlight clean and aimed — a dirty or mis-aimed headlight can cut your night vision by half; check it before every night ride
Learner restriction reminder: Class 6L and 8L riders may ride only between sunrise and sunset. Passing the motorcycle skills test does not lift this — the daylight-only rule runs until the end of the learner stage (the Class 6 road test for a 6L rider, the Class 8 road test for an 8L rider).
Conditions and Responses at a Glance
| Condition | Key Risk | Primary Response |
|---|---|---|
| Fog | Can't see ahead; others can't see you | Low beams (never high), slow down, 4-sec following distance, pull off if needed |
| Heavy rain | Spray, reduced view, reduced traction | Slow before it starts, 4-sec distance, watch for spray, low beams |
| Sun glare | Temporary blindness, hard for others to see you | Sunglasses/tinted visor, clean shield, adjust timing, be predictable |
| Night | Limited seeing distance, hidden hazards | High beam when safe, don't overdrive headlight, more space, watch for animals |
The table is your decision guide: slow down, open up space, make yourself visible, and never ride faster than you can see.
You're riding on a highway and a thick bank of fog rolls in. What should you do with your headlight, and why?
Why is the first rain after a long dry spell especially dangerous at intersections?