Slowing down for a hearse?

[WrendaleCountryDogs]

Growing up, my mum always slowed down when driving and a hearse was coming the opposite direction. As a result, I do the same.
Do you?? I've never seena nobody else do it.

Magpies?

@MLMsuperfan thats such a shame - I would held the traffic up as long as I could so at least the immediate family could pass through (probably about the first three or four cars). I was brought up to always respect a funeral procession and it is really sad that people cannot wait 5 mins to let them go through.

Very much the done thing in Ireland, completely stop if there are family members walking behind the hearse. If travelling with a cortège stop or drive slowly until the first few cars following the hearse have passed. For large funerals travelling through busy areas sometimes a police car will head up the cortège allowing it to pass through busy junctions and roundabouts and stop cars cutting in.

This may be outing but I don't care. My dad was a retired HGV driver and when he died, his old employers offered to send a "cab unit" to be outside the house when dads coffin and the funeral cars arrived. It also happened to be "bin day" and the recycling teams where already at the cul-de-sac where dad lived and where we were meeting him before his last journey. As the hearse pulled in the driver of the cab unit sounded the air horn. The recycling team stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads. I thought that was lovely but what happened next just blew all of us away. When the hearse and funeral cars moved of, not only did the cab unit driver sound his horn but so did the driver of the recycling lorry. There was another recycling lorry further up the village and, as we passed that, the driver sounded his horn too. It seems the 1st guy messaged the 2nd one. It was a beautiful gesture and one I shall never forget.

I do the same, stop ,head down face the rod and pay my respects as they pass by, nothing weird about it

I do as a pedestrian but not as a driver, mostly because I don’t want to increase the risk of an accident.

@vivaespanaole My mum always did that and I do too now although our living room is upstairs and the downstairs windows can't really be seen from the road.

I don't drive but if a cortege passes me I will stand and bow my head until it has gone.

During the pandemic the local undertakers would post the route and timings on FB so that people could stand in the streets to show their respects.

🤣 why will you disturb the dead if you have the radio on?

Of course you don't overtake a funeral courtage and we will usually give way (if it's safe to) if you can see people are clearly with it (dressed in black ties) even if they aren't in the funeral cars. I don't slow down going in the opposite direction though, that's dangerous.

Oh that's lovely.

And I always slow down, it's respectful.

i got cauight up in a procession, joined in the middle, and the mourners in the car in front of me stuck their fingers up and shook their fists, or such like, at me,
it was terrible.
i was coming out of a junction and oblivious.

I cross myself and say the eternal rest prayer. I don't slow down if it's going in the opposite direction.

I have always stood still for a hearse and sometimes bowed my head. For my dad's funeral, the crematorium was a long distance away and coping all the way there felt almost impossible sitting in the car facing his hearse. Starting with the first 4 neighbours we paased and then through the whole journey we saw a LOT of pedestrians stand / take off hat / bow their head, as well as a LOT of cars slow down to let us proceed. It was very moving and kind, and we all really appreciated it. In future, I will be less shy about also turning to the cars to bow my head, because the feeling of all those kind wishes was so important and helpful at the hardest time on the day.

Growing up in the sixties and seventies this was normal. Also shops and houses would close or put down their blinds as a funeral passed. In fact if their was a death in the house it was traditional to close all blinds.
It reminds of that line in a Wilfred Owen poem
"and each slow dusk a drawing down of blinds"

Good. You should be taking more notice when you are driving.

@TaRaDeBumDeAy
i had no idea,
would you do that?

My moment was when my late husband was being taken from our house and my neighbour across the road stopped and bowed his head until my husband had gone away. That image has remained with me since 2012. Such a comforting situation

No, you’re upsetting the flow of traffic behind you and could cause a shunt.

I don’t think she means slamming on her breaks in the middle of a busy road lol.

I slow down too and I turn my music down as I usually listen to rap music that some people may find offensive and due to my stressful job I have it quite loud which helps me regulate and relax.

I’ve never bowed my head though but I would find that very respectful.

I recently saw beautiful black horses pulling a coffin, followed by loved ones and everyone stopped/slowed right down and turned their music down because of the horses and it was a lovely feeling and so respectful as usually you would have just kept on driving but everyone just stopped and watch them go by.

I do that too. My dad and grandparents did the same so I learnt it from them.

Funeral processions usually drive quite close together and avoid leaving gaps between vehicles, so for you to squeeze in the middle of the procession suggest you were driving in an aggressive manner, as well as not paying enough attention to notice the nature of the vehicles. It also suggests the driver of the car in front noticed and was upset enough to mention it to the passengers, which is why they turned steering and gesticulated. Not polite, no, but then it was probably one of the most distressing days of their lives so if I were you I’d cut them some slack.

My grandfather died in the pandemic. He had lived in the same place for 60 years and on the same street for 40. Everyone knew him. Obviously places were limited at the funeral but the thing I remember clear as day were people who lived in the village all came out of their houses and stood on the pavements to watch him go by. When we went by the street he lived all his neighbours had brought their dogs (he was a proper dog person) to say goodbye to him. Even thinking about it brings a lump to my throat.

Stop and bow my head if I’m walking and silently wish the dead person and their family well.

@funnelfan
hardley,
there was a gap,
a space,
slow moving traffic which i joined from a side road,
not aggressive,
dont worry - i am sure the mourners were happy to give me the V sign, i dont need admonishment from more strangers!

Came up behind a funeral cortège today. Just the hearse with one funeral car behind. Side road, about 100 yards from junction to main road. Funeral director was walking in front of the hearse.
I slowed right down, left an obvious gap between me and the cortège. Cars on opposite side of road stopped. Woman came up in a car behind me and flashed her lights, then when I didn’t speed up nipped round me and drove right up to the cortège but couldn’t get round it because of the stopped cars on the other side of the road. Even though she kept on flashing her lights she couldn’t magically get past the hold-up.
When we (slowly) got to the junction at the end of the road it turned out the cortège was going the same way that she was, so she remained stuck behind it. I may have had a little ‘serves you right’ smile to myself as I turned the other way.

Yes I do this too. I also say a prayer for the soul of the deceased. Again, both things my parents did.

I make the sign of the cross and say a prayer.