I left Roswell, NM where I was visiting family for Christmas around 7:45pm. I was heading back to school in TX, so I drove west out of Roswell on US 380 towards Tatum, NM. The distance if my memory is right is about 72 miles. It was dark and a big storm was heading in from the north. It rained the entire trip home. I stopped in Tatum to get a bite to eat and use the restroom at the gas station there in town. On my way, out of the parking lot I was pulled over by the local police who sent me on my way. I proceeded on US 380 West, It was dark, and raining, there werent very many cars on the road at the time when I was about 10 miles Texas side of Tatum. I was listening to cds and smoking a cigarette, when a bright light shot down from the sky and proceeded to brighten the road in front of me for atleast 5 minutes. I pressed my face as far to the windshield as possible without loosing control of the car and looked up, and all I could see was a bright light, no fiqure, just a solid bright white light. It appeared to be possitioned directly above my car, though the light remained on the road ahead. The light vanished, and it was dark again till I passed the next car a couple miles down the road. My heart was racing the entire time, I couldnt believe what was happening, I had driven this road and many in the area at night before and never has this happened. I honestly cannot explain it.