Funeral Vent

[diesel]

That’s too bad. We had the opposite happen to us during my dad’s funeral procession in May. We had to take route 128 from Bedford to Newton at 9am and the people were so courteous. I was so surprised. We were in the right lane and even the people merging on from exits allowed us to go by.

 

[Carly_Roach]

There is nothing on the test regarding this. If my most recent defensive driving class they did say that funerals are a thing to look out for because they think that they are allowed to disregard all traffic signals and they cause accidents. If you go to a funeral here the funeral home with give you a slip of paper with directions on it to the cemetary in case you get seperated by red lights etc. and it says on there to not go through red lights to keep up.

It varies by state. Michigan code states funerals are given the right of way except for emergency vehicles:

MICHIGAN VEHICLE CODE (EXCERPT)
Act 300 of 1949


257.654 Vehicles forming part of funeral procession; right-of-way; flags; passing through funeral procession with vehicle as civil infraction.

Sec. 654.

(1) A motor vehicle forming part of a funeral procession, when going to a place of burial, shall have the right of way over all other vehicles except fire apparatus, ambulances, and police patrol vehicles at a street or highway intersection within this state if the vehicle in the funeral procession displays a flag which shall be fluorescent orange in color, and upon which shall be printed, stamped, or stained a black cross, the star of David, or the crescent and star. The lead vehicle and the last vehicle in the funeral procession may carry an additional flag. The flags shall not contain a name embossed or printed on the flag, except the word "funeral".

(2) A person passing through a funeral procession of motor vehicles, designated pursuant to subsection (1), with a vehicle of any kind, is responsible for a civil infraction.


History: 1949, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949 ;-- Am. 1952, Act 9, Eff. Sept. 18, 1952 ;-- Am. 1960, Act 105, Eff. Aug. 17, 1960 ;-- Am. 1975, Act 49, Imd. Eff. May 20, 1975 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 510, Eff. Aug. 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1979, Act 148, Eff. Jan. 1, 1980

I don't know how well this is taught in driving schools here, though. Most people I or my DH encounter are respectful of funeral processions. The law may be different in MA, but there may have been out of town people who didn't know the law is different and continued through the traffic light because that IS the law and all they know. How many funerals does the average person attend where they'll know the law in another state?

The driver in front of the honking woman either knew the code for the state the OP is in or was showing respect for the funeral procession. If the funeral occurred in Michigan, then the driver of the front car was avoiding getting a ticket for interrupting a funeral procession. He may also have been inadvertently keeping the honking woman from getting a ticket because she would have likely gone right through the procession if she was the first car. She and her time, after all, is more important than anyone else around her.

People are rude. People have been rude. And people will be rude. We can get mad about it but that won't stop people from being rude and insensitive.

I'm sorry for your loss, OP.

 

[luvmy3]

OP, I'm sorry for your family's loss.

In our state we are not allowed to proceed through traffic lights when part of a funeral procession. I have been in one that had a police escort, that was the only time it was allowed. I'm not excusing that woman, but she really may not have realized what was going on.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

It varies by state. Michigan code states funerals are given the right of way except for emergency vehicles:

I don't know how well this is taught in driving schools here, though. Most people I or my DH encounter are respectful of funeral processions.

The driver in front of the honking woman either knew the code for the state the OP is in or was showing respect for the funeral procession. If the funeral occurred in Michigan, then the driver of the front car was avoiding getting a ticket for interrupting a funeral procession. He may also have been inadvertently keeping the honking woman from getting a ticket because she would have likely gone right through the procession if she was the first car. She and her time, after all, is more important than anyone else around her.

People are rude. People have been rude. And people will be rude. We can get mad about it but that won't stop people from being rude and insensitive.

I'm sorry for your loss, OP.

Thanks for posting! I'm from Michigan and was reading most of the previous posts with a . I live in a small/mid size town and we ALWAYS pull over, even when the funeral procession is going the other way on the street. It is just the way things are done here. It doesn't take long and I think it is a simple courtesy which is lost in many places.

 

[freckles and boo]

I have posted this at least twice. It may be respectful to pull over when you encounter a funeral once a week or once a month or once a year. I live in an urban area near several very large cemeteries. There are days when I cross paths with two or three (or more) processions. Stopping out of respect here can get you rear-ended or worse, especially if you are traveling in the opposite direction. I would never interrupt a procession but stopping is a poor choice. In fact, I would rather see the funeral homes forego the processions. Simply hand out directions and give everyone time to arrive and park. We have been in at least a dozen processions in this area and have seen and been involved in many close calls. It isn't worth it in my opinion.

 

[EthansMom]

My condolences on your loss.

I'm in my mid-30s and have never (to my knowledge) encountered a funeral procession. Perhaps they are something that is more common in some areas than others?

I would assume that the driver who was honking did so more out of ignorance than disrespect.

 

[NewCrew42]

I am so sorry for your loss.

I have noticed this happening more here than in the past. I am not sure if the law requires people to give the right away to a funeral procession but I was always taught to do it out of respect for the family of the deceased and am trying to teach the same to my children.

I have also noticed people not yielding to emergency automobiles as well, which is illegal but I haven't seen the police ticket anyone as they are rushing to the emergency and do not have time to stop.

 

[Angelhalo]

Thanks for posting! I'm from Michigan and was reading most of the previous posts with a . I live in a small/mid size town and we ALWAYS pull over, even when the funeral procession is going the other way on the street. It is just the way things are done here. It doesn't take long and I think it is a simple courtesy which is lost in many places.

This is the way it is here. We pull over (both directions of traffic) to show respect for the family of the deceased. As far as I am aware from having worked at one of the largest Funeral home/Cemetery/Crematories on the East Coast, there hasn't been a big problem with it here. In all my years working there we never had a single accident occur in or around one of our processions. The vast majority of people just slow down and pull over. It isn't as though they slam on brakes in the middle of the street to stop. As long as people are paying attention and leaving an appropriate following distance, it doesn't seem to cause any major catastrophes when people slow down and pull over to stop for a moment. And having worked closely with surrounding businesses, I never heard any of them complain about stopping frquently for passing processions.

OP I'm sorry for your loss. I too lost an uncle this past week so I feel your pain. Surround yourself with loved ones and try not to worry too much about the cell phone woman. it is entirely possible that she had no idea there was a funeral procession going on. A lot of people are extremely rude, but I at least try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Peace be with you.

 

[Disney Darling]

That happened to a friend of mine when her grandfather died. A older mand on the side of the road realized that a funeral procession was passing and he stopped bowed his head and took his hat off. It meant a lot to the family that a stranger had enough respect to do this. It all boils down to manners and up bringing. And I don't want to get started on that rant. OP Sorry for your loss.

This is how it is down where we live, somewhere down south.
Pulling over on the opposite side of the road, and yes sometimes the men getting out of their cars and removing their caps, is the norm. It's a sign of respect.

I can imagine in a big city though, as a previous poster stated, that doing so would be very dangerous.

I'm sorry to hear of your losss.