Cop was wrong, you don’t have to pull over facing a funeral procession

[kymom99]

What’s odd is that all your funeral processions have police escorts. Don’t your police have actual police things to do? Here it would never happen, unless there was some sort of security concern or maybe if it was a state funeral for a high ranking official of some sort. I’ve certainly never seen such a thing in all My years. Similarly, our fire department doesn’t get kittens out of trees either.

They are off duty cops

 

[summerlyangel]

I'm in SC and most of our natives, my family included, pull over for funerals. I grew up in an traditional, rural Southern area and everyone pulls over still. There are frequent funeral processions from the funeral home to the church cemetery. Whichever office has jurisdiction will lead the procession and stop traffic. For example, my nephew died in April and the funeral home was in the neighboring county from the church/cemetery. When we left, it was the town cops leading the procession until we hit the county line, then that county's deputies took over. To take it a step further, there were cops at all intersections, stopping traffic so that the procession could go through. My nephew was just an average resident, this kind of thing is done for everyone in the community.

I live in suburbia now, outside of Charlotte, but still in SC. Most people are transplants. They do not stop as often in my current community and seemed to be irritated by those that do. I pull over and stop and always will if given the choice and opportunity to do so. I do see others still stopping for processions and always assume that they are a native, as well. When I lived in MI, where my DH is from, I did not notice any funeral processions at all.

Edited to add that I don't know if it's an actual law, it's just something that is done and typically respected.

 

[tvguy]

I was headed home on a two lane road when a funeral procession came up the other way. I continued heading home. I was not speeding but the cop at the end of the procession waved me down to stop. He motioned for me to roll down his window and began yelling that I “was REQUIRED to stop for a funeral procession.”

I guess he was the back up car because he head off towards the back of the procession.

After I got home and went to look up the law in my state and there is no requirement to pull over. I realize some may consider it out of respect, but I was already running late.

Funeral processions usual hire Motorcycle escort services. I bet he wasn't a cop.

 

[avengerspoilerer]

Funeral processions usual hire Motorcycle escort services. I bet he wasn't a cop.

Here they use MARKED police cars. He turned on his lights when he stopped me. You would LOSE that bet!

 

[mom2rtk]

They are off duty cops

Lots of police have second jobs. Security at banks, security at professional ball games, even my son's college campus (in a high crime area of town) was staffed by off duty police. It's nice extra money for them. My Dad almost always had a second job.

 

[tvguy]

Here they use MARKED police cars. He turned on his lights when he stopped me. You would LOSE that bet!

Was he part of the procession, or just observed what you did?

 

[tzolkin]

I'm in SC and most of our natives, my family included, pull over for funerals. I grew up in an traditional, rural Southern area and everyone pulls over still.

I live in suburbia now, outside of Charlotte, but still in SC. Most people are transplants. They do not stop as often in my current community and seemed to be irritated by those that do. I pull over and stop and always will if given the choice and opportunity to do so. I do see others still stopping for processions and always assume that they are a native, as well.

Edited to add that I don't know if it's an actual law, it's just something that is done and typically respected.

Do you do this on the highway as well? A few times, I have seen cars come to a complete stop or slow down to under 30mph to avoid passing a funeral procession on the highway in the NC city where we work. I thought this was extremely dangerous when everyone else is driving 75+mph and may not have noticed the processional.

I think some of it is cultural and some of it is misunderstanding of what the actual law says. One of those things where someone tells you "it's illegal to ___" and you believe them and pass that information on to others. My husband has had this conversation a few times with coworkers who are adamant about it being illegal under any circumstances to pass a funeral procession. So if they are driving on the highway they will slow down to a crawl, let the processional go by, and then ride in the passing lane at a slow speed next to the last car so that they (and no one else behind them) will pass the procession.

I looked up what I could find for NC:
(g) The operator of a vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction as a funeral procession may yield to the funeral procession. If the operator chooses to yield to the procession, the operator must do so by reducing speed, or by stopping completely off the roadway when meeting the procession or while the procession passes, so that operators of other vehicles proceeding in the opposite direction of the procession can continue to travel without leaving their lane of traffic.
(h) The operator of a vehicle proceeding in the same direction as a funeral procession shall not pass or attempt to pass the funeral procession, except that the operator of such a vehicle may pass a funeral procession when the highway has been marked for two or more lanes of moving traffic in the same direction of the funeral procession.

Basically, if you want to stop (oncoming), you have to get all the way off the road so that others can safely drive around you. And the "no passing rule" does not apply when you're on a highway-- you should just move over to the left lane and continue driving.

 

[Meglen]

Hey Karen so was the person in the hearse. Very very disrespectful & narcissistic.It costs you a minute of your life
Sometimes the right thing to do costs you a minute of your life.

People who don't use the term Karen right are the reason ppl don't like it. Not knowing something and looking up facts is not a Karen. If the op called the police station to complain about being pulled over for something that is not a real law...
That would be a Karen lite. Sueing the cop for unlawful acts would be full Karen.

 

[summerlyangel]

Do you do this on the highway as well? A few times, I have seen cars come to a complete stop or slow down to under 30mph to avoid passing a funeral procession on the highway in the NC city where we work. I thought this was extremely dangerous when everyone else is driving 75+mph and may not have noticed the processional.

I think some of it is cultural and some of it is misunderstanding of what the actual law says. One of those things where someone tells you "it's illegal to ___" and you believe them and pass that information on to others. My husband has had this conversation a few times with coworkers who are adamant about it being illegal under any circumstances to pass a funeral procession. So if they are driving on the highway they will slow down to a crawl, let the processional go by, and then ride in the passing lane at a slow speed next to the last car so that they (and no one else behind them) will pass the procession.

I looked up what I could find for NC:
(g) The operator of a vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction as a funeral procession may yield to the funeral procession. If the operator chooses to yield to the procession, the operator must do so by reducing speed, or by stopping completely off the roadway when meeting the procession or while the procession passes, so that operators of other vehicles proceeding in the opposite direction of the procession can continue to travel without leaving their lane of traffic.
(h) The operator of a vehicle proceeding in the same direction as a funeral procession shall not pass or attempt to pass the funeral procession, except that the operator of such a vehicle may pass a funeral procession when the highway has been marked for two or more lanes of moving traffic in the same direction of the funeral procession.

Basically, if you want to stop (oncoming), you have to get all the way off the road so that others can safely drive around you. And the "no passing rule" does not apply when you're on a highway-- you should just move over to the left lane and continue driving.

I've never seen a funeral procession on an interstate highway, but if I did, I probably would not stop. You're right in that does not sound safe at all. If it's a 4 lane in town, I pull over as far as possible to the right side. I'm rarely the only one, but more people do continue on than pull over.

 

[MrsPete]

Be nice.
Pull over.
Show respect to the family who's lost a family member.

 

[Keetchino]

Western NY here, and in my area funeral processions need to follow traffic laws. I had never heard of people pulling over for them until now, it’s not something that’s done here. Pretty much the only thing people will do is make sure they don’t accidentally drive through one. Our police stopped doing escorts for liability reasons, but they will still occasionally do one in a special circumstance. Generally the traffic cops handle them, and use whatever cars are available that day so it could be a car or could be a motorcycle (marked).

 

[LadyBeBop]

I've never seen a funeral procession on an interstate highway, but if I did, I probably would not stop.

I have, although not very often.
I’ve actually been in one. My mother’s. The funeral Mass was in a church just off the interstate, and the burial plot was about 10 miles away, off the same interstate. No one pulled over or stopped. The possession stayed in the right, low-speed lane, and everyone passed us on the left.

 

[goofyernmost]

When I lived in Kentucky I learned that it was legally required to pull over for emergency vehicles only if they are going in the same direction you are but traffic in all directions must pull over for the ENTIRE funeral procession. You can't move until the rear police car passes.

I always found that so odd.

Did they specifically say funeral processions because a hearse is not an emergency vehicle. The emergency has passed.

 

[goofyernmost]

Why the eye roll? Just wondering!

 

[tvguy]

Here they use MARKED police cars. He turned on his lights when he stopped me. You would LOSE that bet!

Depends on state law. I'd win here in California. $238 fine. In my county add in $75 court cost fee plus $50 for the new court house fee, you'd be looking at $363 in fines and fees.

The traffic laws regarding funeral processions in California is governed by California Vehicle Code Section 2817.

Any person who disregards any traffic signal or direction given by a peace officer authorized pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 70 of the Penal Code to escort funeral processions, if the peace officer is in a peace officer’s uniform, and is in the process of escorting a funeral procession, shall be guilty of an infraction and subject to the penalties provided in subdivision (a) of Section 42001.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Slightly OT, but this reminded me of my brother's funeral procession. He died in June, so it was a summer day. We have a huge family and he had many, many friends. Looooong procession. I can't tell you how many people who were out, stopped and removed their hats as we drove by. People mowing their lawns stopped mowing. It made me cry like a blubbering idiot.

So I bet many people pull over out of respect, and somehow it got accepted as law.