Just been shouted out by funeral party...

[Pinklady1982]

Aibu to be feeling really upset by this? I was just driving along and a funeral car pulled out slowly from a turning. They had about 10 cars behind it which were possibly all part of the party, so I slowed down and let a load of cars through. Now this was a residential road and I could see some other cars had joined the back of the queue. I started easing forward a bit as if I kept waiting there letting all the cars out I would be there ages and needed to get home, also I wasn't to know if they were all part of the funeral. I had right of way as they were in a side turning, but sat there patiently for a while. Well this lady then rolls down her window and starts shouting at me! Saying they are part of the funeral party and could I not see that. I explained that I had let about 10 cars go and wasn't to know who was part of the party and who wasn't. She just shouted at me to get out of the way very loudly and rudely and pulled out. I just put my window up and pulled over as I felt a bit shaken. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable anyway at the moment and I hate confrontation. I know that at these times emotions will be heightened, but was I really in the wrong here? They were going to then be pulling out onto a main road where I'm sure they would be seperated by other cars, so you can't all expect to stay together surely?

It’s unreasonable to expect 10+ cars to be able to stick together. Maybe, and traffic lights roundabouts are hard, as they do separate the procession, funeral drivers usually avoid routed that have high volume of traffic and this. Ime people usually pull in when they realise they've accidentally cut into a funeral procession. It becomes obvious quite quickly due to speed they are driving and many other indicators.

'Funeral processions don’t actually have any special rights on the road, and are expected to stick to the same rules as everyone else.
They don’t legally have any special right of way at roundabouts or traffic lights, and they will only be given minor concessions if they come under police control'.

Funeral processions are told to keep going through red lights and other traffic has to wait.

What a load of sh*te!

Where do some of you people live? Cloud Cuckoo Land?

@Justaboy
OP said she made a mistake. She's acknowledged that. And I've already said I understand that mistake.
However, I don't know about you but I'm pretty observant when I drive and emergency vehicles and funeral procession a get my full attention & caution quite quickly as well as children playing by side of the road. That's part of being a driver.

Funeral processions are told to keep going through red lights and other traffic has to wait.

They really aren't. Any funeral director who tells you this is trying to drum up business!!!

YABU. Always better to let unrelated cars through and lose a few minutes than upset someone who has lost a friend or relative. I would have thought everyone knows not to break in to a funeral cortège.

Flags? 😳 Are they royalty?

@WillLokireturn I’m so sorry about your sister. I still don’t think @Pinklady1982 was disrespectful though; by her own admission she’d already let “loads” of cars out. It’s not as if she hooted, jumped in between the hearse and the family cars etc.

Funeral processions don't jump red lights nor other traffic laws!! Not in UK anyway. But they do rely on other drivers being respectful and cautious.

Sorry you got yelled at OP, but a funeral procession has the right of wsy, no matter how long it is.

Let's have the page number of the Highway code that little gem appears.

Seriously...are you on glue?

Funeral processions are told to keep going through red lights and other traffic has to wait.
What a load of nonsense. You’re not in the uk are you?

I thought you weren't supposed to break up a funeral procession. Also the last time I was in one the funeral director gave the front car and the back car a black flag to put on the cars to signal the start and end of the procession.

I thought you weren't supposed to break up a funeral procession.

You have to follow the rules of the road. As far as I know, there’s nothing about funeral processions in there.

@IHateUncleJamie
I know and I've said that. I also said there has been tips on here to help her for next time.

Now she knows and can understand how the mourner that thought she could tell and cut in anyway, might have felt. So that understanding will help her feel less aggrieved, as she is lesser of the party that was distressed on that day, so she should/could put it behind her.

I think you did your best to be respectful and you said you could see other cars adding on to the end (that probably were off up the shops). When we buried my grandad all the cars in the procession were given magnetic black flags. She was pretty disrespectful to the funeral screaming at you in the street. Let it go now, funerals are always awful and emotions can be heightened.

I like the N American tradition of having flags on all the cars in the procession.

Some pretty insensitive people on here.

You will be driving very slowly – usually 30-40 mph on roads, depending on the normal speed limit, and no more than 55 mph on the highway. You will need to stay close to the car in front of you in the procession – do not allow room for a vehicle not in the procession to cut in.

Once the lead car in the procession appropriately goes through a traffic light or stop sign, the entire procession is typically allowed to follow. Yield the right-of-way until the entire procession is through the intersection. ... Funeral processions will yield to emergency vehicles and the directions of a police officer.

YANBU
You weren’t to know and aren’t a mind reader. Yes it’s nice to follow as a funeral procession. But it isn’t always possible.

Having buried two very close relatives (as in in the car directly behind the hearse), this woman was being ridiculous. Interestingly the only person bitching about the behaviour of other motorists was my sil. She couldn’t have given a shit about my family member.

Actual relatives otoh were too busy composing ourselves for the funeral to notice what other people were doing.

YANBU

The first and second mourners car are the only ones to get special dispensation! Once you are on to number 7, you are just traffic with the rest of us.

Cars following funeral procession are usually full and with people dressed up with lights on low in the day

It's pretty obvious who is in the funeral procession as they have flags on the cars, their lights on or you can just tell from their clothes.

I have never heard of people putting their car lights on or flags on cars. I've never considered people attending a funeral to be part of a procession either. At all the funerals I've attended I was either part of the immediate family so in one of the limousines which definitely should be allowed to stay together where safe to do so or driving separately in which case I didn't consider myself to be part of any procession.

@SunshineCake - that's not U.K. advice.

You should have waited

Yield the right-of-way until the entire procession is through the intersection

The use of "yield" and "intersection" mean this can't be from UK instructions

So, it’s insensitive to suggest that it’s ok for someone to continue on their journey after having let ten cars through which were presumed to be a part of a funeral procession, but it’s not insensitive to shout at a stranger in the street?

It’s insensitive to cut into a funeral procession (which OP couldn’t possibly have known how long it was) but it’s not disrespectful to the dead and the other mourners to enter into a slanging match in public? And the latter’s insensitivity is justified by the fact she was apparently grieving? Riiiiight.

Where is that from sunshine? It’s certainly not the Highway Code.