Overtaking funerals

[Owllady]

Please don't do it. You just look like a twatty twat
Overtaking a hearse reversing into the churchyard whilst the family watch on. Biggest nobber in nobsville
I'm glad that's sorted

I think passing on a duel carriageway is ok especially if it's a long stretch of road as long as you slow right down. Hazards are a good idea for safety.

YANBU.
Some people are disrespectful dicks.

I think it's fine if it's a dual carriageway

It's important that the procession stays as together as it can do as many people have to travel some distance too, so may not know where they are going.

It's really bad manners to start overtaking the mourning family outside the church and even worse to stop a hearse reversing onto the churchyard.

It's like if you get to the church on foot after the family/coffin. It's good manners to follow the coffin/family in, rather than overtaking and finding yourself a chair in the church/crem first.

I've over taken a hearse. I'd been stuck behind them for over twenty minutes while they crawled along at 20mph on a 60mph (single lane) road. We reached the duel carriage way and they showed no sign of speeding up. I had a very important medical appointment that I couldn't miss (was finding out test results/if I needed treatment.)

While showing respect is never a bad thing, I think they shouldn't be allowed to hold up traffic.

I accidentally pulled into a funeral procession during one of my first driving lessons. I was so caught up in the 'finding a suitable gap' that I didn't realise it was a funeral. I felt so awful, still get an awful sinking feeling in my stomach when I think about it.

sparkling I don't mean to lower the tone on this thread but IBS trumps a funeral has made me smile from the sofa where I nurse a fractured vertebrae. Thank you

I would never overtake a funeral procession and would think dimly of someone who did. It's disrespectful - the mourners as much as to the deceased.

However there are plenty of situations where the needs of the living trump the needs of the dead. Where I work in Central London there's a church with an extremely busy bus stop in front of it. Sometimes you'll see a hearse driving or parked with buses coming and going around it. It's unfortunate, and quite a jarring sight, but it's unrealistic for the buses to be delayed or diverted for every funeral. Even after someone has died, life goes on. :(

I remember sitting in the procession for my Grandad's funeral and my Grandma being quite upset and saying "I remember when people would stand and bow their heads when a hearse passed but people are just carrying on walking."

I've also pulled into a funeral procession. Fair dos the hearse is obvious, as are the couple of big black limos after, but after that everyone just looks like a big queue of traffic in their own cars. And from a long way behind you can't see they are following a hearse, it just looks like a traffic jam.

Also at my dad's funeral, the hearse drove at normal speed on A roads, just slower near our house and the crem. We didn't ask the funeral directors about this so just assumed this was normal.

Do people still make the sign of the cross when a hearse passes by? (dim memory from my childhood)

I don't think its disrespectful.

You don't get to inconvenience everyone else on the road just because you're in mourning.

This reminds me of a few weeks ago. I was driving behind a private ambulance, which I think are used to transport dead people, anyway the guy was driving like a total nutcase. He was going so fast that I totally lost him on the road I was on and then caught up at a junction.

Anyway, I hoped it was empty, although they did turn into the funeral directors. I was tempted to call them and complain, but then I thought I might drive fast if I had a dead body in the back of my car. Still I thought it was pretty disrespectful.

I do generally stop and bow my head in respect. I recall, when my grandad died, that most of the village stood and bowed their heads as the car passed through. It was very humbling and emotional.

I did it once by accident. I got between some of the cars following and the main funeral cars, I moved in as two lanes were merging and it was my right of way. I hadn't realised it was a procession until I saw the herse and limo a car ahead and the driver of the Micra behind me dressed in black shaking his fist at me. It was a genuine error, and I did feel terrible about it, but there was nowhere to pull off to let them rejoin.

Ye would love an Irish funeral then we walked all the way through the town to the cemetery cars trailing behind us.

DH has IBD and IBS. He would rather shit himself than be so disrespectful and inconsiderate.

I can't believe anyone would rather someone shat themselves than overtook the hearse.

I would be horrified if someone put themselves in that situation during the procession at any funeral I've ever been too. And the deceased would have been too. Don't be so ridiculous.

As my uncles funeral approached a roundabout the car coming from the right stopped to let the hearse through. He also waited for the mourners cars to go.
A twat in the queue blasted his horn, he should have looked in the mirror instead. There was a police car behind him. As we were leaving the roundabout the police were knocking on twats window.

I always stop when walking as a funeral goes past. Im in NI and we're still quite old fashioned about funerals

The hearse is easy to spot but I think there should be something on the last car to indicate it is the last car in a funeral procession, it would help others realise and be respectful and not accidentally overtake. Like an L Plate but saying 'funeral procession please be patient' The undertakers could lend it to the last car.

really so people become so ill whilst driving they shit themselves...or pass out!
should they be driving?

I did it once by accident. I got between some of the cars following and the main funeral cars, I moved in as two lanes were merging and it was my right of way. I hadn't realised it was a procession until I saw the herse and limo a car ahead and the driver of the Micra behind me dressed in black shaking his fist at me. It was a genuine error, and I did feel terrible about it, but there was nowhere to pull off to let them rejoin

It is impossible to tell in those circumstances which ordinary cars are following the hearse and which aren't. I wouldn't sweat it.

In most of the funerals I've been to, the cars have pulled off slowly from the house and then as the crematorium is off a duel carriage way travel at a steady speed (50ish) in the inside lane with traffic passing at normal speeds on the outside. The hearse and mourners cars slow down again at the approach road to the crematorium. Whilst drivers will generally give way to the hearse and the black mourners cars, the cavalcade of private mourners vehicles travelling behind the herse usually get broken up due to traffic lights and roundabouts etc.

Given that it is a 20 mile plus journey, with busy roundabouts and fast A roads, I don't think it is realistic to expect to complete it at just above walking speed and in a convoy of up to 15 vehicles.

I can't believe anyone would rather someone shat themselves than overtook the hearse.

I have to agree here, there should be dignity in life as well as death.

I think if you do have an emergency then it's ok - and yes I think people should on the most part be allowed to pick that emergency (not purely you want to get there quicker) but actual real reasons like IBS etc

I don't think it's disrespectful and ridiculous to expect all traffic to stay behind
We live 17 miles from the nearest crematorium and I have been in funeral processions doing that journey
Traffic could build up daily if everyone stayed behind

As an organist of many years' standing, I have often found myself in the procession after a service (usually unintentionally). On one occasion, I was travelling to the town where the cremation was to be held. This was a journey of over an hour at the best of times, and even longer at about 30 mph. When we came to a long straight, the hearse and lead car pulled over and let the non-mourners overtake. Otherwise, I would have been incredibly late for the thing I was going to in that same town. However, I would not have overtaken for any money if he had not done that. People are incredibly rude when it comes to funerals.