Funeral procession without a police escort; what were they thinking?

[Dashcam Georgia]

 

[flank]

Maybe not everyone can afford a police escort? Below is one I was in last year, I was the trailing vehicle.

 

[DT MI]

I've never seen a funeral procession with a police escort unless it was some dignitary or other VIP. Here in MI all vehicles have a 'funeral' flag mounted and the last vehicle has 4 of them to signify the end and the procession is led by the hearse. All vehicles are also required to have their headlights on.

Laws vary by state and it appears that GA does no require a police escort.

https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/...ND-FUNERAL-PROCESSION-LAWS-CHART-00143368.pdf

 

[Dashcam Georgia]

Maybe not everyone can afford a police escort? Below is one I was in last year, I was the trailing vehicle.

Yes, if law enforcement were to comment on the video, they would probably say that it "costs too much" to provide escorts for all funerals. Lack of coordination by the funeral home may also be a factor here.

I've never seen a funeral procession with a police escort unless it was some dignitary or other VIP. Here in MI all vehicles have a 'funeral' flag mounted and the last vehicle has 4 of them to signify the end and the procession is led by the hearse. All vehicles are also required to have their headlights on.

Laws vary by state and it appears that GA does no require a police escort.

https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/...ND-FUNERAL-PROCESSION-LAWS-CHART-00143368.pdf

That is correct, GA does not require a police escort. The law here is inadequate, because headlights alone are not visible to vehicles approaching from a cross street. If tight vehicle intervals are not maintained in the procession, then the chance of cross traffic entering the intersection increases. Flags would give better visibility, but without interval control/requirements, the chance of cross traffic accidents is still there.

 

[DT MI]

...but without interval control/requirements, the chance of cross traffic accidents is still there.

No argument about that. It seems the procession was traveling at fairly high speed making vehicle intervals difficult to maintain. Around here I don't think I've ever seen or been part of one that traveled over 25MPH which makes it fairly easy to keep pace with the vehicle in front. Funeral directors can easily control this.

 

[flank]

Yes, if law enforcement were to comment on the video, they would probably say that it "costs too much" to provide escorts for all funerals.

Thats actually my cousin's funeral procession in the video, died of heart condition. Those might be off duty cops but they were "for hire" and not free. My aunt booked them for the services. From the funeral home to church then from the church to the cemetery. Only a few months later, we had to do the exact same trip with the moto cops for her husband. Pretty sad.

 

[jokiin]

Those might be off duty cops but they were "for hire" and not free. My aunt booked them for the services. From the funeral home to church then from the church to the cemetery.

not to make light of a dire situation (no disrespect intended) but it seems quite bizarre that you can be able to run red lights without a problem because you (not meaning you, but anyone) paid money to get this service, I understand when they do it for state funerals, dignitary's etc as there can be other reasons to do that, just seems at odds with how willing the same cops would be to give you a ticket for running a red any other time, money talks I guess

 

[flank]

Its the Cali law that funeral processions get right of way. I guess they want to keep the funeral party together. Back in the old days they, would be moving more slowly and there were less people around.

This is from the motor vehicle handbook from Cali:

Do not block or hinder a funeral procession. Vehicles taking part in a
funeral procession have the right-of-way, and if you interfere, obstruct,
or interrupt the funeral procession, you are subject to a citation (CVC
§2817). A funeral procession is led by a traffic officer. All vehicles taking
part in the procession have windshield markers to identify them and
have their headlights on.

 

[Rajagra]

Well I thought this would be a pointless thread, we get by just fine in the UK without police escorts for funerals. (And we have crappy, narrow roads.)
But that was mind-blowing. Surely if there are that many guests they should just make their own way and not drive dangerously? And that was absurdly dangerous - 'unmarked' funeral cars just blowing through red lights, with huge gaps between them!!! Insane.
Too much effort to ask for the address and type it into Google Maps?
Maybe the funeral parlour wants to drum up some extra business.
I'd be happy to see every driver prosecuted, funeral or not.

 

[Deleted member 44607]

One of my favourite YouTubers, The Angry Video Game Nerd had a side series called "You Know What's B******t?" and he did an episode about exactly this.

If I'd hired a car in America that day, for example, I'd have gone on my green light and honked my way through those unmarked cars thinking they were colour blind or something. Might be a bit of a stupid question but how can you actually even tell sometimes? Or can't you? Like Rajagra said, it just seems absolutely absurd. I mean we even hear you go "What the? ... oh, must be a funeral"

In the UK we have very distinctive black herses and black limos that travel at about 15mph from A to B.

Anyway here's the video I was talking about. I agree so much with it despite not knowing the American road laws. Why risk having another funeral from a car crash just to parade one already happening? Madness.

 

[GTA Driver]

Several years back, I was in a funeral process where the start point was a church and the end point point was cemetery with a crematorium. The person representing either the funeral home or crematorium stated that its a myth that cars in process are exempt from traffic lights rules AND that we must stop at stop signs and red lights. To ensure the cars at the end of the procession, which would be us, would able to get to the destination, I believe we were given a pamphlet with a map and address at the back.

edit: We and other cars in the procession had flags, but it didn't stop other drivers from cutting in the line

 

[Dashcam Georgia]

One of my favourite YouTubers, The Angry Video Game Nerd had a side series called "You Know What's B******t?" and he did an episode about exactly this.

If I'd hired a car in America that day, for example, I'd have gone on my green light and honked my way through those unmarked cars thinking they were colour blind or something. Might be a bit of a stupid question but how can you actually even tell sometimes? Or can't you? Like Rajagra said, it just seems absolutely absurd. I mean we even hear you go "What the? ... oh, must be a funeral"

In the UK we have very distinctive black herses and black limos that travel at about 15mph from A to B.

Anyway here's the video I was talking about. I agree so much with it despite not knowing the American road laws. Why risk having another funeral from a car crash just to parade one already happening? Madness.

LOL (I actually DID lol) Well, the UK has had over a 1000 (?) years to perfect funeral processions. Over here, we are still trying to figure things out.

 

[Dashcam Georgia]

Several years back, I was in a funeral process where the start point was a church and the end point point was cemetery with a crematorium. The person representing either the funeral home or crematorium stated that its a myth that cars in process are exempt from traffic lights rules AND that we must stop at stop signs and red lights. To ensure the cars at the end of the procession, which would be us, would able to get to the destination, I believe we were given a pamphlet with a map and address at the back.

edit: We and other cars in the procession had flags, but it didn't stop other drivers from cutting in the line

Sounds like Canada got their common sense from the UK.

 

[kamkar]

Here a funeral procession are to be thought of as one long vehicle, so if the lead cars passed a intersection under green and it change to red, the following cars are allowed to run a red light to keep the procession intact..
you can not pass / overtake thru a procession unless there are large gaps in between vehicles, if the normal close proximity between slow moving vehicles then you got to be respectful.

The latter seem problematic here now, so its not uncommon that funeral processions get harassed by other motorists.

 

[GTA Driver]

Sounds like Canada got their common sense from the UK.

Canada is influenced by the both the States and UK on various matters. I think for driver safety, Ontario can be creative having rules no other or few other jurisdictions in the continent have, such as the bus bay law.

What I have noticed, is that Ontario's law has nothing in areas where the States may have a law. I looked up the funeral procession law as some times you can hear rules from others which are NOT quite so. Case in point my wife says its illegal to change laws in the middle of an intersections. Heard that from her driving instructor. She's a newish Canadian that got her license in her forties. According to Reditt and I looked that up to verify, there is no such rule.

So yesterday I did a search after posting what I did and the only links are from newspapers. There is no such law in the matter, but there should be a line somewhere discouraging drivers from doing what is legal in the states or possibly other provinces. Ontario isn't a island. It neighbours four states. Every day to work Toronto, I see at least one New York plate . Driving from Toronto to Windsor (city across the river from Detroit) I can see several american plates.

Given there is no law or writing on that matter, just a misconception, its therefore dangerous here as some drivers in a procession may think they have the right to break a law.