to think overtaking a funeral cortege is beyond discourteous

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

3 times on 2 mile journey the procession was overtaken by impatient twits. I wasn't in the process in, just the first car behind the 2 ca s following the hearse.

Really? Have people got such low levels of respect these days.

[auld]

I have family in Scotland and sadly have had to go up there for a few funerals. The difference is amazing compared to funerals I have attended down south.

Other cars regularly stop and allow all the cars in the cortège to go past, and will old up other traffic to do so, but the other traffic seems to wait as soon as they see what is oing on anyway. People in the street will stop, and if men are wearing hats they will take them off while the cortège passes. It's so much nicer and so much more respectful. I do it too now, but I'm usually the only one.

Was part of a long procession of cars following the hearse to the crematorium (funeral of best friend from school) and was panicking a bit as wasn't sure of the way and didn't want to get lost so I was really really relieved and very touched by the fact that at a very busy roundabout other drivers clearly noticed that it was a funeral procession and let the entire, long cortege go through. It really made me choke up that people would be so respectful. As others have said - doesn't matter to the deceased but it means a lot to the bereaved - certainly meant a lot to me.

On the same topic, I found it very upsetting at a family funeral, when the cortège arrived at the church and, as the coffin was taken out and we lined up to process into church, a delivery van nearby had its radio blaring pop music. The priest was actually speaking the words said just before the deceased is carried into church. I found it unbelievable that someone didn't have the common decency to switch it off.

oddly enough i found myself behind one this morning. i drove slowly behind out of respect however sadly i had an impatien BMW up my arse taking out their aggression on me as if i was driving slowly on the M25 in the fast lane, they must have seen when we were going up a hill that this was a funeral?

My grandad was very well known in his neighbourhood. He lived on a main road leading out of town and up to the church where his funeral was held. It was a short journey and on the day the funeral director led the cortege on foot. People who weren't actually going to the funeral but knew him stood at their gates, older ones with hats off, heads bowed as he went past on his last journey. It was a massively touching thing and would have been utterly ruined by some dickhead speeding past. I was always taught to show respect for funerals. On another note, has anyone else heard of closing the curtains when there is a funeral in your family or street? DH has not but I have, I was always told to open the curtains during the day or people would wonder whose funeral it was.

drcoconut we have allways shut the curtains but only for a household death i thinks its kinda a please dont knock the door and respect our privacy thing.

op yep seriously rude

When it was my MIL funeral even an Asda van stopped to let everyone out, the driver doffed his head, cars stopped as we came out into the main road

r coconut yes but mainly older folk here who do this and also cover mirrors.Funerals here mostly walk from whatever church to the cemetary which is on the main road in and out the town,the police tried to stop this acouple of years ago and caused a real stink but now they help control the traffic at busy junctions as I think they realised they were on to a loser.

There are reasons why a cortege goes slowly. The funeral directors have the routes timed so that they get to the Crematorium on time (not too early as the bereaved family would then have to wait which can be distressing as another service is usually taking place, at our local Crem it is every 1/2 hour) and also as readsalotgirl said, it is so people who are unfamiliar with the area can find their way to the crem or graveside on time. We haven't always had sat nav.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos on the way to my father's funeral 17 years ago, I will never forget the cortege driving slowly past a bus stop in the town where the crematorium was (slowly due more to the traffic than any other reason), and an old gentleman doffing his cap. It still makes me cry to think of it.
I always stand still if a funeral goes past.

Recently in funeral cortege, horse drawn carriage and obviously a childs funeral, a driver beeped the 2nd funeral car carrying the grandparents for trying to continue on a mini roundabout. I was so

I do wonder why some people have so little respect for not only the deceased but also their family and friends.

On the way to my Grandpas funeral a white van pushed his way I between the hearse and the family car. It's little things like that which families do remember.

On the other hand on the same road going to my Granddad funeral the police motorcyclists blocked the junction as the cortage approached - the benefit of him having been a police biker I guess!

I think YABU. As someone else said, not everyone has the luxury of time to drive very slowly to wherever they're going. Personally, I wouldn't be late to work, late picking up DS from nursery, to a doctor's appointment etc. if I had the opportunity to safely overtake a cortège. I wouldn't beep, overtake dangerously, frighten horses or break up a line of cars though.

Oh, and when I die at some point it will be my expressed wish that the procession goes as fast as possible.

When I was a child the done thing was for pedestrians to stand to attention as a funeral possession passed. I don't suppose that happens so much now.

Yanbu, OP. Some people are just stunningly selfish. I sat on the bus once next to someone who started telling her mate that it's not actually against the law not to get out of the way of a blue light. "Yeah, I never do", she said, "They can't actually make you, innit". I was so very tempted to turn round and ask her, "But what kind of a person wouldn't want to?"

not the purpose of the thread but when i was in the 'family' car for my aunt's funeral (my mum's only sister, we were very close to them, died tragically of cancer relatively young) a cyclist at a junction took his helmet off and held it to his chest, it took me a moment to work out why and then i was unbelievably touched, i can't explain why, i was just so touched i will always remember that moment.

Devora I'd have asked her what if she was the one in the ambulance being held up by stunningly inconsiderate Pillocks just like her!

It is pure disrespect to both the deceased and their mourners.

My FIL died suddenly last year and was very well known, liked and respected in his town. On the way there we had to pass road works and all the work men stopped what they were doing, bowed their heads and those wearing hats took them off. MIL was incredibly touched by that. Sadly, when we got to the church and parked up alongside it, a complete arsehole decided that when the family were standing around and FIL was being taken out of the hearse was the perfect time to walk past. He walked through the throng of mourners (like I say, FIL was very beloved, it was the biggest church in town and was so packed people were standing outside), pushing past some people, cut between MIL and the funeral director as he was explaining to her what was happening, then cut between the hearse and the family car behind to cross the road. Bastard was wearing a hat that he didn't take off either.

He could have crossed before reaching the church, he could clearly see we were blocking the path, why and therefore that we would be gone in a minute. There was a crossing 20 yards behind us, in the direction he approached from and once he had crossed, he carried on in a leisurely way so I doubt he had an emergency appointment to get to.

Unfortunately, my over riding memory of that day is the sheer disrespect of that man, not the workies downing tools for a stranger, the packed out church, the army of 16-20 year old lads from FILs training centre who had been given the day off but still chose to attend, many of them in their Dad's suits, just one man clearly old enough to know better.

It is disrespectful to overtake on a single lane road.

However I did think it was ok to overtake the whole cortège on a motorway - is it not?

I wouldn't weave between the mourners/hearse just overtake into the middle lane as I thought this was acceptable.

YANBU... unless the presence of 'normal' cars made it not immediately obvious what the hold up was. There are twats who will overtake 'timid' drivers, but that isn't strictly discourteous - they may have got to the front and been cringing with realisation of what the situation actually was.

The graveyard in my town is past a very busy area, schools, garages etc. Any funeral I've been to the cortege only goes slow for a few minutes, usually so people who want to, can carry the coffin.

The cars then drive at normal speed limit .They have to go around a roundabout and I hate to see cars not stopping and trying to cut through the funeral cars.

I'm in NI and I tip my blinds if there has been a death in the family my mum and aunty would still close all their curtains. I always stop when a funeral passes and have taught my DDs to do the same.

Here in Chile it is obvious because everyone in the procession uses their hazard warning lights. As I do not live in the city it is very rare that I see a funeral procession on a single lane road, but when I do I follow at their speed. I think most people here do to same, from memory.

it is disrespectful to overtake unless you have some kind of genuine emergency as mentioned upthread. A lot of what people regard as urgent these days is in fact only mildly important for them but many people feel, IMO, that everything happens at top speed and instantly. Waiting has become an antiquated idea for people who grow up with email, FB and twitter. But thats another thread.

OP YANBU

Well it's impolite to beep your horn and burn rubber while overtaking a cortege, but just going past on a dual carriageway seems entirely reasonable to me. There's no good reason for people to have their day interrupted and be seriously inconvenienced by the funeral of a total stranger, no matter how sad the bereaved are.

The cemetry isn't far from me, and the locals do let the cortege go past, do the blocking at roundabouts so the family can stay ogether.

Horse drawn hearses are not unusual, and they always seem to use the same road, maybe it is easier for the horses, but there are a lot of places to turn off.

By my parents the hearse often uses the motorway. This is also the most obvious route to use to get to the hospotal so I think it is reasonable to expect someone to overtake.

Totally agree SGB.

I lost my mother seven years ago. She was only 64. It was terrible and devastating.
I did not feel the need to hold up the rest of the local traffic with a corsege crawling along at 3 miles an hour out of respect for her though....and if we had had one, I would not have been offended at people trying to get past and get on with their day.

Sorry...I just don't see the need for it all. Her death was dreadful for us, but was no-one else's concern.