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?

😆

You are literally posting 'etiquette.' What is listed on that link is NOT THE LAW!

And even on there it says you are OK to overtake on a duel carriageway! Some of the responses on here at batshit! Pay no attention @confusedabouthormones !

I assume you are posting that in support of the OP as it says it’s acceptable to overtake a funeral procession on a dual carriageway

sorry x post with Typewriters above

I have in the past slammed on the brakes in mortal fear of upsetting a cortege, only to realise it was an empty hearse and the undertakers were in civvies.

But she’d have been in front of it so the same thing.

That's not the same thing 😂. Being in front of hearse is fine. I went out of my way to stop to let it out.

My experience of being in the family car at two recent funerals is that the hearse drove at normal speed on the dual carriageway.

mine too,

I would want to overtake it - especially on a dual carriageway or motorway. But I wouldn't. I think it just a few minutes of my time to show respect for someone, and for the mourners behind. I had this situation the other day, and just hung back.

You absolutely do on a dual carriageway or motorway if it's going at slow speed.
God forbid if everyone in all lanes hung back for 20 miles as a hearse traveled down the A3

But what does it actually matter? They all pull into the venue and people then make their way in together. If another car accidentally ends up in the middle of the procession I wouldn't be bothered.

If people want to have processions etc fine, but they really shouldn't expect the general public to adhere to any so called etiquette.

I would overtake anyone going slowly on single or dual carriageways.

It is odd. I've been to about 25 funerals, many involving a drive between church and crematorium. Some have been close family so I've been in a limo, many I've just been in my own car. I've never considered anyone not in the family limo to be travelling in any kind of procession. Had never heard the idea at all until a similar thread on here a couple of years ago.

Even being in the first limo I don't necessarily expect to follow the hearse with nobody between us. It's getting from A to B. Same as a wedding going from church to hotel. It's a lot of people making the same journey, it isn't a convoy.

It probably doesn't actually matter and for me personally if I was in one of the mourners cars I couldn't care less and probably wouldn't notice however it matters to a lot of people and etiquette says it's appropriate much like there's no law about letting a door bang on somebody but social etiquette says to hold it open and if one little act can help somebody on one of the worse days it's something I'm willing to do.

Yes I see your point there are many social etiquette things that aren't necessary but we all observe.

Imo funeral processions are different as they are of course slow and disruptive. I was behind one the other day with a funeral director walking, on a public road with a massive tail back. It is a bit much to expect others to be inconvenienced like this.

I of course have every sympathy for those bereaved but I've been to a few funerals and do not expect others to be inconvenienced for the sake of a few cars travelling very slowly.

@Gloriia the walking bit is usually done at the start of the journey as the deceased leaves home for the last time.
They usually only walk a couple of minutes and then get in the car.
Very unusual to walk all the way.

@Gloriia I completely agree

It's so bizarre to expect random people who have never interacted with the deceased to "show their respect". They have no respect for the person beyond an initial thought of "oh, that's sad".

I certainly wouldn't be too impressed if they walked the entire way but most places I drive to there's normally a different route I could take if this happened so I would just take that.
But as PP said normally it's just to the end of their road or similar.

Absolutely fine and normal on a dual carraigeway.

How disrespectful.

They were on a dual carriageway!!!!

Lots of comments agree with me, very disrespectful.

Why? They were on a dual carriageway!

I've seen hearses and funeral processions on trunk roads (dual carriageway) and even the motorway (M11) near here and the traffic certainly doesn't just slow down drastically for them any more than it must. They are overtaken. They have to be or there could be a dangerous build-up of traffic behind. They keep to the left where there is a special lane leading off to near the crematorium.

No it isn't and more comments disagree with you than agree.

And only about 1% of those acknowledge it was a dual carriageway and say they still think it's wrong. The others are, I suspect, all knee-jerk reactions to the word overtaking without any comprehension of the situation.

I would never do this on any road. Poor form and disrespectful to the deceased and their relatives and other mourners.

I think it's very disrespectful, there we are.