Yesterday we buried my best friend. In that small town, jerks don’t cut into the funeral procession.
It pisses me off to no end when people don’t leave funeral processions go by, and pull out into the road. Give the dead person and mourners some respect. You might not know the person, but all those others did, and someday it will be you.
Sorry about your friend, Phobia.
I’ve never seen anyone cut into a funeral procession around here, but when I lived in Seattle, it wasn’t unusual at all. Maybe big city anonymity has something to do with it.
Shoot, if you lived in Eagle Grove and cut in, you wouldn’t get waited on at a store or restaurant or gas station for weeks. And your kids would probably get beat up in the park.
Isn’t it illegal to cut into a funeral procession?
I dunno. Maybe it’s a local thing.
In Missouri, it is now illegal (as of last summer) to cut into a funeral procession. I think everyone has to pull over to the side of the road when they see one coming or they risk being ticketed.
Never in my life have I cut into a funeral procession (even though it means I can go through red lights). First off, it is highly illeagal to do in this city, second of all, they move too slow. I myself have never seen anybody cut into a procession, and this is a large city I live in.
I am sorry about your friend also, Phobia.
Yes, it is illegal. I’ve seen many people do it in the larger towns. There would have to be about 50 cops along the route to stop it. It’s not just one car that will do it.
I don’t think it matters if it is illegal or not, people should have some respect. Most of what is done at a funeral is in respect for the family. Pulling over to the side of the road to let a procession pass is just good manners.
Cutting into processions should go in the tacky thread. Blech. Not only is it disrespectful, when we buried my grandmother, the church where the funeral took place was her church, on Long Island, the cemetary where she was being buried next to my grandfather was in Queens. We had about 20 cars, many of them (including my family) with no idea where they were going, so when we were cut off, we risked getting lost.
And the hearse stopped at red lights. After a three-day wake (Irish-Catholic family…) the only thing my cousins and I had to look forward to was the joy of running red lights. And we didn’t even get that. :mad:
I don’t remember ever having cut into a funeral procession, but I wish they’d be a little more considerate of other drivers. And those fake cops really irk me. I’ve been in processions, and I’ve had to wait for them. Neither is pleasant.
In Nashville, people on both sides of the road generally pulled over out of respect. And very often pedestrians will remove their hats also. I was very surprised and gratified when we buried my father last year.
StG
What the hell is the deal with funeral processions going through red lights? I have seen many near-accidents where I live (near two cemeteries) and myself have been nearly run down because I didn’t know it was a procession and—silly me!—tried to cross the street with the green light.
I wonder if “funeral processions” have become outdated? They made sense and were do-able 100 years ago when they were done with horse-drawn carriages and there was little traffic and no traffic lights. But in the 21st century they are increasingly dangerous and impractical. Maybe we should just move to “we’ll meet at the gravesite” funerals.
Well, its illegal in Massachusetts:
MGL Chapter 272: Section 42. Disturbance of funerals.
Section 42. Whoever wilfully interrupts or by fast driving or otherwise in any way disturbs a funeral assembly or procession shall be punished as provided in section forty.
And for the “section forty”:
Chapter 272: Section 40. Disturbance of schools or assemblies.
Section 40. Whoever wilfully interrupts or disturbs a school or other assembly of people met for a lawful purpose shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one month or by a fine of not more than fifty dollars; provided, however, that whoever, within one year after being twice convicted of a violation of this section, again violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for one month, and the sentence imposing such imprisonment shall not be suspended.
I’m sorry about your friend dying, Phobia. That trip to the cemetery can seem like it takes forever, doesn’t it?
It * is illegal * to cut into a funeral procession here in Atlanta, but it doesn’t stop people from doing it, unfortunately.
But to answer the question, no, I don’t cut in, nothing in my life couldn’t wait a few more minutes.
It is illegal in some places to cut in, not in others. Some places have laws saying it’s ok for a procession to go thru a red light; others don’t and it’s only courtesy.
My parents’ across-the-street neighbor was killed a few weeks ago in a funeral procession (those of you in the Chicago area may have read about it in the paper). He had fallen behind the rest of the procession (he was old and should never have been behind the wheel, frankly) and when the light turned red for him, he kept going. Unfortunately, an SUV was coming the other way, didn’t know there had been a procession, and certainly didn’t know he had fallen behind it and would be going through the light. The SUV slammed into the driver-side of the car, killing him and putting his wife in the hospital (where I believe she still is). The SUV driver did not get a ticket.
I have been in a funeral procession where a car cut in front of me – and it’s not like I gave him a whole lot of space to do it.
But, to their defense, nowadays it’s often difficult to know there is a procession unless you see the lead hearse. All the cars have their lights on. Ok, but there are a lot of cars with daytime running lights now, so it’s not uncommon to see cars with lights on during the day. All the cars have stickers denoting the funeral procession. Ok, but the stickers are just little squares in one corner of the windshield. How can we expect everybody to see them? Around here, they used to have little flags you put on the hood, but I guess stickers are cheaper. Those flags were at least a bit more visible.
Here in Cincinnati, we only go thru a red light if the motorcycle escort plants himself in the middle of the intersection in order to stop traffic going the other direction. We also have the purple flags and are instructed to put on our headlights…
Of course, it used to be that the church was next to or darn near the cemetery. Not anymore.
I live in a very small town with two other very small towns about three miles away. We all go to the same high school. When some friends of mine died at a train crossing two years ago, hundreds of people showed up for the funeral and procession. The procession was close to two miles long. I don’t believe anyone cut in. I suppose that’s rural life for you.
–Tim