Funeral Processions

[WEDWDW]

When a Funeral Procession is approaching do you:

1)Continue at normal speed

2)Continue with a reduced speed

3)Come to a complete stop until the entire Procession has passed

 

[amcnj]

If I was ahead of them I would just continue at my normal speed. If I am stopped at a light or stop sign and they are on the intersecting street, I usually let them all pass.

Sometimes they don’t give you a choice. A week ago I was at a red light and a long procession just continued to go through the light even after it changed to red. I did change my route though, as I initially was going to make a right turn at the light but saw up ahead that the procession had stopped and the road was at a standstill.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

In Ireland I was taught to 3) Come to a complete stop until the entire Procession has passed.

Its normal to see traffic stop, for pedestrians to stop and sometimes you will see staff in commercial premises stand at their doors.

 

[bcla]

If I was ahead of them I would just continue at my normal speed. If I am stopped at a light or stop sign and they are on the intersecting street, I usually let them all pass.

Sometimes they don’t give you a choice. A week ago I was at a red light and a long procession just continued to go through the light even after it changed to red. I did change my route though, as I initially was going to make a right turn at the light but saw up ahead that the procession had stopped and the road was at a standstill.

In the United States it depends on state law. At least in my state, once the lead vehicle passes through a green light or stops at a stop sign, the rest of the procession can come through without stopping. That can be led by real police or by private services. And I've seen these before, where all vehicles in the procession are supposed to have visible "FUNERAL" labels on the windows. But that doesn't mean that all traffic must stop for the funeral procession, especially if it's a multi-lane road. There are also local ordinances that may apply to funeral processions and escort vehicles.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article276462501.html​

California Vehicle Code Section 2817 says drivers must obey traffic signals or directions given by a peace officer escorting a funeral procession, if the peace officer is in a peace officer’s uniform, and is in the process of escorting a funeral procession.

Section 7 of the California Driver’s Handbook also states one should not “interfere with a funeral procession” and that it has the right-of-way. You can be ticketed if you interfere.

Officer Ricardo Ortiz, spokesman for California Highway Patrol, said that ordinances and fines vary from city to city.

“Legally, [this law] only comes into play when uniformed officers are escorting the procession,” Ortiz said.​

​

Ortiz said uniformed peace officers are sworn police officers, but oftentimes, funeral homes will have private entities to escort funeral services. These entities do not have any legal authority to impede traffic or block intersections.​

And if it's controlled by real police, they have an absolute right to stop traffic at their discretion.

 

[TippyThomas]

I'd stop until everyone has passed.

Just realized as I typed that how bad of a pun it sounds like.

 

[_19disnA]

I agree it probably varies by state. If the procession is coming toward you, I doubt there is any requirement to stop like you would for a school bus with flashing lights or an ambulance/fire truck. Each vehicle in funerals I have been a part of are given a flag to display on their vehicle and some official (we were never told if the person was an actual police officer or representative from the funeral home) drives ahead to block an intersection particularly if there are many cars involved and the traffic light might change to red to avoid confusion among other cars. Those who are part of the procession are permitted to continue even if the traffic light turns red.

 

[tvguy]

In the United States it depends on state law. At least in my state, once the lead vehicle passes through a green light or stops at a stop sign, the rest of the procession can come through without stopping. That can be led by real police or by private services. And I've seen these before, where all vehicles in the procession are supposed to have visible "FUNERAL" labels on the windows. But that doesn't mean that all traffic must stop for the funeral procession, especially if it's a multi-lane road. There are also local ordinances that may apply to funeral processions and escort vehicles.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article276462501.html​

California Vehicle Code Section 2817 says drivers must obey traffic signals or directions given by a peace officer escorting a funeral procession, if the peace officer is in a peace officer’s uniform, and is in the process of escorting a funeral procession.​

​

Section 7 of the California Driver’s Handbook also states one should not “interfere with a funeral procession” and that it has the right-of-way. You can be ticketed if you interfere.​

​

Officer Ricardo Ortiz, spokesman for California Highway Patrol, said that ordinances and fines vary from city to city.​

​

“Legally, [this law] only comes into play when uniformed officers are escorting the procession,” Ortiz said.​

​

Ortiz said uniformed peace officers are sworn police officers, but oftentimes, funeral homes will have private entities to escort funeral services. These entities do not have any legal authority to impede traffic or block intersections.​

And if it's controlled by real police, they have an absolute right to stop traffic at their discretion.

This has been my experience in California.
In Texas, people pull over and get out of their cars, many with a hand over their heart until the funeral procession has passed.

 

[WEDWDW]

My bad,I should have specified if you are driving along and a Procession comes from the other direction in the other lane.

I have seen people do all three.

It seems like years ago,everybody ALWAYS stopped until the Procession in the other lane had passed,but I have seen times now where people either just slow down or even keep normal speed.

Of course, if it is a 2 lane,if one person stops,the people behind have no choice but to stop.

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

3

 

[LuvOrlando]

In any state I have ever lived:
Never ever break into a procession but anyone on the other side of the street that has no interaction at all drives normally but with a little more caution because any normal person understands the mourners are upset and probably need room.

I have never seen anyone stop on the opposite side of the street for a Funeral. As far as I know full stop both ways is reserved for First Responders only because they are going fast and create a danger.

 

[Kitty 34]

#3. I don't care about state or federal rule; I would do it under respect.

 

[bcla]

My bad,I should have specified if you are driving along and a Procession comes from the other direction in the other lane.

I have seen people do all three.

It seems like years ago,everybody ALWAYS stopped until the Procession in the other lane had passed,but I have seen times now where people either just slow down or even keep normal speed.

Of course, if it is a 2 lane,if one person stops,the people behind have no choice but to stop.

It’s kind of a gray area, but in a lot of states, stopping for a funeral procession in another lane may be considered a traffic violation for obstructing traffic. Unless maybe directed to by police.

I think it might be an outdated tradition. People have been seriously injured before. The whole point used to be a dignified procession for the deceased, and that a lot of people might not know how to get from the funeral to the cemetery. But these days who doesn’t have access to GPS?

https://www.wsiltv.com/news/multipl...cle_7c1b395b-cf96-5677-9a60-b4826c38bee0.html
https://www.actionnews5.com/story/21970786/dump-truck-accident-kills-one-person/

 

[ncc1701]

It’s kind of a gray area, but in a lot of states, stopping for a funeral procession in another lane may be considered a traffic violation for obstructing traffic. Unless maybe directed to by police.

I think it might be an outdated tradition. People have been seriously injured before. The whole point used to be a dignified procession for the deceased, and that a lot of people might not know how to get from the funeral to the cemetery. But these days who doesn’t have access to GPS?

https://www.wsiltv.com/news/multipl...cle_7c1b395b-cf96-5677-9a60-b4826c38bee0.html
https://www.actionnews5.com/story/21970786/dump-truck-accident-kills-one-person/

Once upon a time in New Jersey it was expected that funeral procession had the right of way. Don't know if it was the law.By the time of my Dad died the Funeral Director reminded everyone that wasn't the case anymore.
If driving in the opposite direction , nobody stops. If we are on a 4 lane road and the procession is in our lane , we might pass . Especially if we don't need to exit.

 

[bcla]

Once upon a time in New Jersey it was expected that funeral procession had the right of way. Don't know if it was the law.By the time of my Dad died the Funeral Director reminded everyone that wasn't the case anymore.
If driving in the opposite direction , nobody stops. If we are on a 4 lane road and the procession is in our lane , we might pass . Especially if we don't need to exit.

Just got curious and looked it up. NJ is very light on any law on funeral processions, although I think it's assumed that they are allowed to pass through a red light or stop sign with an escort. All I could find is that if it takes longer than 5 minutes through an intersection, a procession is required to break up. And it always has to yield to emergency vehicles as well as mail vehicles.

I'd normally include the official version from the state (and not Justia or FindLaw), but it's a really weird format that may not be hard linked.

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/title-39/section-39-4-93/​

39:4-93. Processions ​

​

If a procession takes longer than five minutes to pass a given point, it shall be interrupted every five minutes for the passage of traffic which may be waiting.​

​

Authorized emergency vehicles, United States mail vehicles and physicians vehicles shall have the right of way through a procession.​

That's the only law on the books in NJ on funeral processions. Apparently someone introduced a bill to create an extensive law, but it went nowhere. It basically set up law that the lead vehicle could legally enter an intersection and that trailing vehicles in the procession could go through without stopping. The proposed law would have made it illegal to pass a procession on a two lane highway, although I think that means a divided road with one lane in each direction. And yeah I get that could be dangerous due to risk of a head on collision. But it wouldn't have stopped the road to any other traffic, but would have made it more or less illegal for anyone to join in.

https://pub.njleg.gov/bills/2016/S3000/2925_I1.HTM​

Although not explicitly addressed in current law, drivers often yield to cars in a funeral procession and permit them to pass through traffic signals, intersections, and stop signs. Under current law, a person who disrupts a funeral or funeral procession as part of demonstration activities is guilty of a disorderly persons offense. However, this provision is limited to demonstration activities and does not address the customs and practices associated with all funeral processions.​

 

[unrequited23]

I grew up in an area where opposing traffic to a funeral kept moving unless there was an intersection where the entire procession needed to proceed through. I attended a funeral on DH's side of the family in southern KY and was floored that most of the opposing traffic on a two lane divided highway with a large grassy median stopped for the procession. At the time it seemed dangerous with the cars stopping and the 18 wheeler trucks barreling along at 55 mph.

 

[amcnj]

The caravans I usually see do not have anything marking them as being part of a funeral procession, other than they have their headlights on. And with many vehicles having daytime running lights on now, if you didn’t happen to see the hearse go by, it might not be immediately obvious why a string of cars is going through a red light!

 

[BrianL]

Here they usually have off-duty police escorts so they can get through lights without stopping or being seperated. We don't use the little flags, which I hand't seen until recently when I was up north - there was no police escort. It used to be that everyone kept their headlights on, but since most cars hae daytime running lights now, they use their hazard lights. Anyway, I've never been taught to stop unless you were going to be impeding the procession or directed to by an escorting officer.

 

[Micca]

3 but I haven't seen a funeral procession for many years.

 

[HopperFan]

I think it depends on regional laws & customs, whether in rural/suburban/urban, depends on the type of road and safety.

I rarely see processions anymore when I am out. And other than my in-laws have not been to a funeral that had a public procession to the cemetery in decade maybe, and most funerals have been memorials without the deceased present. With cremation on the rise I think we'll see it less and less from the average person.

 

[Mommb]

I think it might be an outdated tradition. People have been seriously injured before. The whole point used to be a dignified procession for the deceased, and that a lot of people might not know how to get from the funeral to the cemetery. But these days who doesn’t have access to GPS?

Some cars don't have GPS displays -- when I go to unfamiliar areas, I look at a map on my phone before I set out, but I would not count on being able to remember all of the details while emotionally drained.

Even with access to GPS, it is useful to be able to follow the cars in front of you. GPS might get you to the main entrance of the cemetery, but the gravesite may be some distance from the entrance.

Injuries occur when drivers are following too closely or not paying attention to oncoming traffic. This isn't unique to funeral processions.