AIBU to overtake a hearse?

[confusedabouthormones]

So today on the way home from school I had just pulled onto a dual carriageway and there was a hearse with some cars behind it. They were going to a near by crematorium. I pulled into the outside lane and drove past it.

My mother was in the car and she had a right go at me for being disrespectful and how she was embarrassed to be in my car. When I looked in my mirror no one else had passed the hearse.

Is this a thing? In my 30 odd years driving I've never heard this.

Was I being unreasonable to pass the hearse?

That's fair I suppose because if they were having to sit behind you, needlessly, they'd probably think you were a giant arse who shouldn't be on the road.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe maybe I will move to Wales.
It's survival of "who can cross the road quickest" here in London 🙁

An etiquette is to not cut into the possession of vehicles behind the hearse but how do you know who is just driving behind and who is actually the mourners? Is it just the actual limo you don't cut?

It's fine to overtake on a dual carriageway. Different on a normal road but traffic needs to keep moving not get congested and joining the mourners for how long?
I think people replied quickly on this without thinking it through.

I think if I was a mourner the last thing on my mind would be if someone had overtaken us on a dual carriageway...

You've never encountered a hearse?
on a dual carriageway😅😅😅

Staying behind is weird. On an ordinary road absolutely respectful to stay behind and as a pedestrian to stop and bow head as it goes past.

but a dual carriage way whilst I think it would be disrespectful to fly past at a billion miles and hour, just overtaking slowly I don’t think anyone would mind. Otherwise you could have a massive traffic jam every time there is a funeral.

On a dual carriageway it's fine. It's not as though you were weaving your way impatiently through the mourning party.

I would and have overtaken on a dual carriageway, it's almost dangerous not to is say. But not on a single lane road.

There’s nothing wrong with this on a dual carriageway and I can’t see why a funeral possession would mind. The only rule I am aware of is that you shouldn’t break into a procession of mourners’ cars following on from hearse. But I can’t see anything wrong with your actions.

Now people are using their own cars, probably due to cost, but who on earth would know that they were part of the cortege?

Where I come from the convention is that all private cars in the funeral cortege put their hazards on - that clearly signals to others they are following the hearse.

As to overtaking a funeral procession - yes fine on a dual carriageway, no definitely not on a single lane road.

I work in London (Chiswick) and the road layouts can be terrifying, for drivers and pedestrians, there seems not to be very clear direction on many streets and the traffic is so congested, pedestrians dodge in and out and I don't blame them, but I fear for them - Uber bikes and the like.

I take my hat off to you for being a pedestrian there, it's frightening. We're more sedate in Wales... 20mph

Pass at 70, surely? People from further down can be coming down the outside and you don't want to cause an accident

Absolutely fine on a duel carriage way

I would (and have!) overtaken on a dual carriageway - but have been mindful not to go past too fast - building up to full speed only when fully past.

Other roads - no i would never overtake a hearse.

Sorry but no. You don’t overtake a hearse.
I was in the limo following a hearse recently and 2 cars over took on the dual carriageway, everyone else hung back and the driver said how common it was; not like when he first started driving for the funeral directors.
When I had driving lessons my driving instructor even said it was an unwritten rule!

I've not heard of hazard lights on either but it makes more sense than 'lights on' because I wouldn't necessarily notice those, not now?

I'd never want to join a procession or cut into it, it must be excruciating, but I think that the answer is for funeral places to make life a bit easier buy lending out these flags to indicate that vehicles are part of it, rather than expecting people to just somehow know.

Personally I would slow down as I went past and then speed up once past it. I would feel awful flying past and not slowing down out of respect. I would not do an emergency stop to cause an accident!

unwritten rule = because it's NOT a rule

Convention? Maybe, but not a rule and therefore followed or not.

Yeah it no doubt depends on area. I live in a semi rural area. I mean go 5 miles one way and it's farms 5 miles the other and it's terraced houses and busy high streets. So crematoriums and cemeteries are often a proper drive down the A3 (part dual part triple lane) to get from the high street funeral directors to the rural located crematoriums/cemeteries.
People would regularly be transported 15-20 miles on the A3. It's a VERY busy road. There is no way in hell the police would allow the whole road to slow down to procession speed. It's would be carnage.

Did you actually read my post? The dual carriageway in question is short, so 'needlessly' would amount to about 60 seconds. So yes, anyone angry at that is an arse, by any logic.

Nonsense of course you can overtake in a dual carriageway.

I agree with others- on a dual carriageway I think it’s fine and actually could be more risky not to re traffic flow (eg for cars joining the dual carriage way and getting stuck in the midst of never longer procession of cars). I wouldn’t overtake on a normal road. It’s often one of the most emotionally charged bits of a funeral and a bit of respect isn’t difficult.

This

Not really as i don't think many drivers do going flying past a hearse at 70. Obvs, you check if it is safe to move into the outside lane first but i think it'd commonly be the case that outside laners would have their foot off the gas a bit.