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Driven to Succeed
The Allegheny Driving School makes safety and communication the top priority in its training . In fact , “ Safety & Communication ” is the school ’ s motto .
Mike Gallagher retired from the Mt . Lebanon Police Dept . after 25 years , as the Deputy Chief of Police . In his law enforcement career , he especially enjoyed working as a Field Training Officer for newly hired police officers and eventually oversaw the training of the entire department , once promoted to Deputy Chief . Those many years of teaching and training officers gave Mike an understanding of the importance of patience and consistency when it comes to teaching new skills to others .
After his retirement , he realized he had a wealth of experience to share , and he wanted to continue teaching — but this time he wanted to train new drivers . After working for a local driving school , he decided to open his own , Allegheny Driving School , LLC , with an emphasis on developing safe drivers .
Mike is certified by the Pennsylvania Dept . of Education to provide Behind-the Wheel driving instruction . Completion of his course , along with a driver ’ s theory course , can lead to a 10 to 20 % discount on car insurance for the student . This discount lasts up to the student ’ s 21st birthday !
His service area covers dozens of school districts in Allegheny , Washington and Beaver Counties . Mike drives to the student ’ s location at their home or school for pick up and drop off after the lesson . The driving instruction is one-on-one so that it ’ s completely tailored to the individual student ’ s skill level .
“ Some students just naturally have more confidence about their driving , while others require more encouragement ,” explains Gallagher . “ I usually try to introduce them to driving in a rural setting . Then we progress to city driving with more traffic , and then lane usage on state routes and highways .”
Each lesson lasts 90 minutes and they receive their certificate of completion after four lessons . But the actual number of lessons depends on the driver and how quickly they progress , with the average instruction usually consisting of five or six lessons . Mike ’ s goal is to build the confidence and skills of the student which will produce a safe driver who is ready for their driving test !
“ I have had students from 16 to 63 years old !” says Gallagher . “ Most are new drivers , but some people just need a refresher if they ’ ve been away from driving for a while .”
When the big day for the important driving test rolls around , students can elect to take the test in the driving school ’ s vehicle . This can help steady their nerves to test in a vehicle where they ’ ve already performed
all the maneuvers required on the test — including the dreaded parallel parking test .
“ The best part of my job is when I see the excitement at the end of the process when they get their license . But beyond passing the test , my goal is to make them a safe driver for life .”
Mike Gallagher has all clearances including PA Child Abuse , PA State Police Criminal Record Check , and F . B . I Background Check .
* If you live outside the service area of the Allegheny Driving School , you can still receive instruction if you are agreeable to meet at a location within the service area ! For more information on lessons , visit alleghenydrivingschool . com .
MOON TOWNSHIP | SPRING 2025 15