Your blood pressure and your insurance rates are about to go sky high. Your teen is getting ready to take their driving test. It's a horrifying rite of passage for every parent. And, to make matters worse, your child's excitement is in direct proportion to your fear. They'll want to get behind the wheel as soon as possible and speed off to the mall. Your job is to make sure they're ready when they do. This guide from 3Birds Template will help you prepare your teen to take the driving test.

It's not a race

Strict graduated drivers licensing rules might make you a fun-sucker, but it also might keep your child alive. You didn't teach them how to ride a bike without training wheels, so don't give them the keys to a two-ton car without giving them the chance to learn how to drive in a low-risk environment. As anxious as your child might be to get their license, don't rush it. If you ever feel your resolve weakening, just remember car accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers.

Baby, you can drive my car

Teaching your teen to drive starts with practicing deep breathing exercises and finding an empty parking lot. Explain how the car works. Ignore the eye-rolling and the “duhs”. Take your teen through the steps of starting the car and pulling out safely before you have them try it. Take things slowly and don't move on to a quiet residential street until your teen has shown a firm grasp of the basics. Be sure to encourage them and praise them when they're doing things right.

Once you get out onto the road, you'll need to be a second set of eyes. One of the most difficult things to learn is the need to be aware of your surroundings in 360 degrees. Anticipate. Don't scream out “Turn left!” Give them some warning. “At the next stop sign, we're going to turn left.”

Start slowly and drive slowly. 15 to 20 miles an hour and minutes per lesson is a good start. There is a lot information coming at your child and you want to give them a chance to absorb it. And, your heart probably can't take much more.

Leave it to the professionals

If your teen doesn't listen to you, really, really doesn't listen to you or learning from the 'rents is terminally uncool in their book, consider hiring a private instructor or enrolling your child in a good driver's ed course. 

Of course, not all driver's ed courses are worthwhile. Make sure the school's goal isn't to teach your child how to pass their exam but to give them real life driving skills. Good schools teach defensive driving techniques, hazard recognition, risk management, and car control. Being a good driver isn't just about handling your own car, it's about being able to react in a safe way to the unexpected.

Testing 1,2,3

Help your teen study for the written test. Go over the booklet with them and discuss real-life scenarios to help them visualize and understand the rules. The last thing you want is for them simply to memorize the rules without understanding why they're there. Have them take a practice test, or five. You can buy practice tests online for under $20.

Practice, practice, practice

There's no better teacher than experience and that means practice. It's all about hours behind the wheel. Be available for your teen, or have a responsible adult available, so that your teen can log as many hours of supervised driving as possible. The more time you spend with them now, the better driver they'll be on their own.