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?

Laws and etiquette are two different things

Why did they sit there for a mile? Presumably because they are a thoughtless prick.

If I had managed to manoeuvre myself between a hearse carrying a body and the surviving family I would have pulled over immediately to allow the funeral cortège to pass while I suffered an agony of embarrassment at my idiocy.

But (I hope) I am not a thoughtless prick.

I'm so sorry for your loss but I really don’t think other drivers place such importance on the actual cars. Once at the site of course everyone should, for example, be quiet and make space on pavements so the funeral directors can get the coffin in the church or wherever but I honestly don't think many view cars en route as anything that they need to avoid.

On a dual carriageway, not near the crematorium entrance I would overtake, especially if slow moving, ie less than 40mph.

Otherwise definitely no to overtaking. I always apologise silently if I have to overtake a hearse or funeral procession.

Having driven hearses, they tend not to go at normal speed. We would generally drive at 20mph in town.

My husband drives a hearse. It is absolutely fine to overtake on a dual carriageway.

@snoopyfanaccountant 20mph is pretty much the speed limit on a lot of roads where I live anyway.

Really? I drove the car behind the hearse for MIL's funeral, and people were absolutely careful not to get between me and the hearse.

I work for a funeral director and occasionally drive the hearse. What you did was fine. We don't want to hold people up and the second lane on a dual carriageway is for overtaking slower vehicles.
What annoys is people who won't let us pull out or cut in between us and the family cars.

You were on a dual carriageway, so not bu.
The deceased in the hearse is deceased and won't care....as they're deceased.

But as has been said people don't do it to annoy anyone or because they are rude or because they are disrespectful.

Many just do not see the importance of all cars being in immediate convoy.

Yes, that's rude. Sorry OP. You always stay behind.

I agree with you. Madness to stay behind when there’s an option not to.

You just used common sense, on a dual carriageway. It’s not like you overtook on a normal road.

Bizarre customs (when not necessary) are just bizarre. You used your brain 👏

I wouldn’t have done it, but I’m not going to have a go at you for doing so. It’s slightly more acceptable if it’s a dual carriageway and you’re not absolutely flooring it, but still, I’d have held back.

Oddly, I also stop walking and wait for a hearse to pass if I’m on the pavement. I think it’s because I saw my Grandad do it a couple of times. He’d take his cap off too.

This is an interesting experiment on assertion

Very wise words indeed

Anyway, the OP has made it into the webpages of BoredPanda 🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s fine to overtake on a dual carriage way. It’s very common here. I’ve done it myself and also been in a funeral car on a dual carriage way. I think it’s safer to overtake on a dual carriageway personally

on a single lane road absolutely not. That is disrespectful

I don’t think the passenger in the hearse minded one way or another.

Dual carriageway - fine as long as done "respectfully" eg not at super speeds or as if you're impatient they've held you up.

You could be on your way to another funeral for all anyone else knows.

Yes, YABU. It’s considered an awful insult to overtake a hearse with a coffin in it.

70% of those who voted on the poll there agree it's fine on a dual carriageway.

Pages and pages later and still only a tiny number of the "no it's awful" crew have acknowledged it was on a dual carriageway. I still think 95% of them haven't actually considered the full situation and just seen the word overtake.

What is bored panda???