I realize this question may have regional implications.
I had to go to a funeral this morning. It was a fairly long procession of cars and going through a few stop lights I wondered what I’d do if the light turned red. I didn’t have to deal with it as it turned red a few cars in front of me and here we are all happily going through the red light. We also had to go the wrong way up a one way street to get to the church. It may have been more of a courtesy thing, I guess. But do funeral processions have a legal right to ignore traffic signals and signs to get to their destination?
Did you have a police escort? If you did you are probably OK. But if not, I don’t believe there is anything in the law that allows it as such. Except for common courtesy.
I would just think that as long as the police are leading you through the light, there isn’t any violation or problem with it. That’s why you rent out a cop to lead the procession.
Normally, in addition to having your headlights on, there is a little placard that says “FUNERAL” that you put on your dashboard or in the rear window.
Funny story about this. My uncle died in August 1998, and the funeral was on a Friday morning. There was a LONG procession of cars that was going through town, and we had a police escort of sorts. Some yabo who was going to the beach decided to join our little procession so that he wouldn’t have to stop at red lights like everybody else. that worked nicely until the cops caught on, at which point they forced him to follow the procession ALL the way from the church to the cemetary, (about 30 miles) and then made him wait until after the graveside service was over and all of the other cars had left to go to the wake.
Asshole.
My only dream was that he drove into a ditch and killed himself on the way to the beach that day.
Here in Michigan, all the cars in the funeral procession have a little orange-and-black flag stuck on the hood or roof (there’s a magnet in the base). The last car in the procession gets three or four flags on it. If the hearse makes the light, the entire procession can go through. You usually don’t see any police escort, unless the person is a local celebrity or something.
In Saint Paul there is usually a motorcycle cop that runs into an intersection, signals for all traffic to yield to the funeral procession and then races to the next intersection before the lead car reaches it. Those guys are impressive to watch (they even do it in Minnesota winters!). Usually only the first several cars have the flags (basically the immediate family only).
In Illinois, if you’re in a funeral procession, you don’t even need a little flag–all you have to do is turn on your headlights, and you’re allowed to cruise right on through the red lights.
Actually, the funeral director will tell you to do it, because otherwise he’s likely to lose half his procession at the first red light, and some people might not know the way to the gravesite and end up missing the ceremony. So they tell you, “Turn on your lights, and keep moving.”
Unless there’s an ambulance or fire engine coming, of course.
Also, if you’re not officially part of the procession, you’re not allowed to budge into line in between folks who DO have their headlights on, thereby indicating “funeral procession”.
Same thing in Pennsylvania as in the other states being reported - once the first car in a funeral procession makes it through an intersection, the rest have the right of way.
I lived in the South for awhile. One day a big funeral procession came by, going the opposite (oncoming) way on the road. Next thing I know, all the cars in front of me pulled way over the the right and stopped. I looked behind me, thinking maybe there was an emergency vehicle coming but there wasn’t. So I pulled around the stopped cars and just kept driving. One of the motorists who had pulled over gave me the finger as I passed! I’m thinking, “wtf”?
Turns out that they have some stupid custom down there that BOTH lanes should pull over “to show respect”, doesn’t matter that the drivers have no idea who the deceased is.
I continued to ignore this custom while I lived there. My continuing to drive to my destination while a funeral procession passes in the left lane does not affect the procession in the least.
I’d never considered this before (having only been to countryside funerals) but on Friday I saw a hearse approach a junction (no traffic lights) the second FD got out of the hearse and marched slowly infront of his car across the road until it was across. No idea what the ‘rules’ are in the UK mind.
It’s a stupid custom. I lived in Columbia, the state capitol and, I think, the biggest city in the state (SC). Excuse me, but hundreds of people die in that city every frickin day. I don’t know them. Why on earth should I pull over and stop my car every time a funeral procession for someone I DON’T EVEN KNOW passes by going the opposite direction? Why? It’s not like by continuing to drive that I am interfering with the procession, they are in the other frickin lane.
You don’t know them, but someone does. If you’re in a funeral procession down here and you see strangers taking a minute out of their day to pull over and pay your deceased friend or relative respect, it’s touching somehow. It reaffirms your faith in humanity a little bit. I live in a city roughly 18 times the size of Columbia, but people still generally do this when possible. It doesn’t happen often enough to be a major inconvienience. For example, if hundreds of people died every day in Columbia, the city would be gone in less than three years.
I’m not saying that everyone should follow this tradition, but it is a tradition here. It doesn’t matter if you think someone else’s culture or tradition is stupid. Intentionally bellitiling their funerary rites and knowingly disregarding them because you think they’re just a bunch of stupid yokels with a bunch of stupid traditions is arrogant and disrespectful.
I’m with *pravnik on this. Unless you have some very well-grounded objection to other people’s funeral customs, you should respect them even if you don’t share them. It’s common decency.