AIBU to overtake a hearse?

Surely it's fine on a dual carriage way. Otherwise you could be preventing the flow of traffic causing tail backs

Not fine on a single road

When hearses go on motorways do they travel at normal speed? it seems a bit dangerous to crawl at slow speed on a motorway

I got stuck behind a hearse on the way to my wedding. We just sat and waited, no stress. It was quite sobering actually and is weirdly one of my strongest memories of the day, sitting in the back of the car with my Dad.

On a duel carriageway it's probably ok but not if it's horses.
I wouldn't try to pass horses.

Well yes if it was a slow mile and they were turning off in their lane. Of course you can pass.

I think on a dual carriageway it's fine.

Reminds me of when we were going to my mothers funeral, we were following in the car behind the hearse. On a B road with tractor in front and the hearse pulled out and over took (quite suddenly and fast), which meant our driver put his foot down and over took to follow. It seemed a bit wrong but we all thought it was funny, my DM would have found it hilarious!

I went to a Jewish funeral. They said that we walked slowly to demonstrate that we're not hurrying to rush the deceased out of the way. Perhaps same logic for driving a hearse slowly

Dual carriageway, you were fine. At that point they are just "on their way" and we're probably themselves travelling at sighter greater speed.

When they are on a single carriageway, it's respectful to stay behind and drive at their pace.

I was the last car at my dad's funeral. No problem being overtaken on the dual carriageway, but I was a bit upset when a car beeped at me at a roundabout when I was following on the procession.

On a dual carriageway it is absolutely fine, you did nothing wrong.

On a dual carriageway where there is no chance you will need to pull in between cars in the procession it's absolutely fine.

You are fine on a dual carriagway. On the way to the crematorium the hearse carrying my late husband was overtaking traffic on the inside lane that was just bimbling along!!

I don't think it's wrong on a dual carriageway at all. They could be going for miles and you'd have tailbacks the same if everyone did the same on dual carriageways or motorways blocking the joining roads too. On a residential street or inner city then yes wait and drive behind.. Because that's just disrespectful otherwise.

When we were on the way to my father's funeral, a couple of cars overtook the one we were in so that they were between us and the hearse.

They then nipped out smartish and overtook the hearse. I can't say I blame them, really!

You never over take on a normal road. At a roundabout, you make sure all the procession can stay together by giving way and being kind to the funeral party.

On a dual carriageway though? I've seen hearses over taken many times. I've been in a funeral party seeing cars over take. It isn't an issue in that circumstance. Surprised so many people think an entire dual carriageway's worth of traffic should sit behind a funeral party. People have lives and the road has rules to follow.

Goodness people on here do love to scold.

After all nothing says respect for death like a massive traffic backlog on a dual carriageway.

OK on a dual carriageway, maybe at a slower speed than usual.

Not ok to sound your horn or wave as you go past

Dual carriageway with multiple lanes absolutely fine. Single lane road where you might have to cut into the funeral procession if a car comes the other way, absolutely not.

Fine to overtake on a dual carriageway. Some crematorium are off dual carriageways.

I'm booked in for direct cremation so that's a private ambulance presumably? I would prefer to be zoomed to the crematorium personally.

I think the funeral business is changing.

On a normal road no, but I wouldn’t expect people to crawl along behind on a dual carriageway or motorway.

Both my grandmothers’ funerals required using a motorway and dual carriageway - for one of them we were on a motorway for a good 45 minutes and then another half an hour on a dual carriageway. It would have been ridiculous to expect people not to overtake.

I expect mourners have more things to worry about other than taking note of who did and didn't overtake them...
I wouldn't even consider it a thing. I guess, I wasn't issued with a hearse etiquette manual when I crossed the UK border 25 years ago and I have never been a passenger of a hearse or one of the cars in the funeral procession. Surely, the only thing I would care about in this situation is my loved one's passing and not what everyone else is doing on the road.

Would it have killed you
to have waited and shown a little thought and respect for a family who have lost someone?
YABU. I would have waited. I’m from Ireland and a funeral procession can hold up traffic because no one wants to zoom past a hearse, which is how it should be.

Exactly. You're too upset to care what anyone else is doing

To be honest, I've been to both parents' funerals and two grand parents and I couldn't have given a stuff whether anyone overtook us even on a normal road.