Funeral Procession Traffic Considerations

Funeral processions are fortunately not something that happens every day in most places. However, you still need to know and understand the traffic protocols and laws surrounding funeral processions. This is to ensure that your family, the funeral attendees, law enforcement officers, and other drivers and motorists on the road are safe.
Furthermore, familiarizing yourself with the relevant state laws, traffic signals, signs, and other traffic protocols will help keep the funeral procession organized and harmonious, especially when on a busy road. A successful wrongful death lawsuit can help with funeral and burial expenses, it often falls to the family to organize a successful and safe funeral proceeding. Thus, whether you’re part of the funeral procession or you’re only encountering one, you should know how to observe proper protocols to avoid traffic violations, or worse, road accidents.
If You're Involved Or Participating In A Funeral Procession
Whether you’re attending a procession as a family member or a friend and colleague, here are the most important traffic protocols you should always keep in mind:
1. Position In Bumper-To-Bumper Rows
Once you arrive at the church or funeral home for the service, make sure to position your car in bumper-to-bumper lines. You also need to stay close to the vehicle before and during the entire funeral procession. This ensures you leave no space that might encourage non-funeral attendees to overtake or cut-in in front of your car. In some states, drivers or motorists who try to overtake or cut in during a funeral procession are subject to a traffic violation and could earn them a traffic ticket.
2. Observe Speed Limit
In general, speed limits in most countries set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on the road. Speed limits are usually displayed on traffic signages and reflect the top permitted speed.
Traditionally, funeral processions travel below the posted speed limit. Their speed usually ranges around 30-40 mph while driving on local roads, while in rare cases, may exceed 55 mph when on highways.
As a participant in the convoy, you must observe your speed and maintain your position in line at all times. More so, keep a close distance from the car in front of you as safely as possible while still maintaining the recommended speed. Doing so can help prevent the funeral procession from being disrupted by other vehicles on the road, as well as possible hitting pedestrians.
3. Follow Traffic Regulations
When attending a funeral procession, you are expected to follow and abide by procession protocols such as traffic laws and rules. However, these regulations tend to differ from one state to another. With that said, it’d be best to check the rules if you are preparing to attend a funeral procession within the state.
In some states, the express statutory provision directs pedestrians and motorists to give the right of way to a vehicle participant of a funeral procession. It's a norm adopted worldwide. It's also an expression of sympathy for the bereaved.
Usually, the funeral procession's lead vehicle must obey all traffic lights and signs. The rest of the funeral procession can continue without stopping once it has legally passed through an intersection. Moreover, since you're following a funeral procession, you no longer have to stop at stop signs or traffic lights. Just make sure you still practice extreme caution while doing so.
More so, turning on your headlights during the funeral procession is another traffic norm. It signals your participation in the funeral procession. Sometimes mourners only turn on their hazard lights discreetly and don't disrupt the somber mood.
Participating in this solemn event requires you to treat others with respect. As much as possible, refrain from listening to the radio, using your cell phone, or honking your horn. Always observe proper funeral procession etiquette.
4. Use Your Hazard Lights
As mentioned, the use of hazard lights signifies your participation in the funeral procession. But besides that purpose, the use of hazard lights is more crucial for the last car attending the procession. Flashing hazard lights will help notify other drivers or motorists behind that they’re the last vehicle of the procession, and the traffic may resume. In some cases, you may also attach two funeral flags on your vehicle as another way of signaling that traffic may resume after you.
5. Make Way For Emergency Vehicles
Like the rest of the drivers and motorists on the road, vehicles involved in the funeral procession must still yield and make way for any approaching emergency vehicles. These may include ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, and rescue vehicles.

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If You Encounter A Funeral Procession
As mentioned earlier, vehicles participating in a funeral procession are generally given the right of way. As an observer, it is your legal responsibility to respect and abide by this.
More so, here are a few more things you should know about funeral procession protocols and etiquette and what to do should you come across a procession while driving.
1. Don't Cut In
All vehicles and even pedestrians must stop and allow the funeral procession to continue through the intersection until all participating cars have passed, even if their traffic light is red and yours is green. It's considered more polite still to pull over to the shoulder if possible and wait for the procession to pass and finish before continuing on your way.
More so, passing or attempting to pass a funeral procession is considered unethical. In some states, this is even prohibited, and doing so can earn you a traffic ticket for failure to yield. Unless perhaps the traffic enforcers helping manage and oversee the entire funeral procession have instructed or allowed you to do so. Another common traffic rule to consider is to never overtake a funeral procession on the right side of the road unless it's in the far-left lane.
Cutting in to join the vehicle convoy of a funeral procession just to get the right of way is also considered illegal. With that said, it is best to wait for the entire procession to be over before doing anything. Be respectful and don’t cut in.
2. Wait For The Last Vehicle To Pass
Traditionally, the last vehicle in a funeral procession has markers that signify the end of the vehicle convoy. For instance, the last car may be carrying funeral flags, or perhaps it’s the only vehicle with blinking hazard lights. Seeing one of these identifiers can be your signal that the convoy is almost finished.
More so, typically, the first vehicle in the funeral procession may be preceded by police cars, while the last vehicle may have a police car on its tail.
3. Be Courteous
Common courtesy and etiquette are expected on a highway or a local road whenever there’s a funeral procession passing through. With that said, one of the key things you should always keep in mind and do is to be respectful.
Avoid making unnecessary noise such as honking your horns, or yelling, and as much as possible, display polite behavior during a funeral procession.
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Funeral Procession Accidents
Whether you are participating in a funeral procession or encountering one, you are expected to be constantly focused while on the road driving. This is mandatory, and in fact, some countries consider distracted driving a criminal offense. The driver has to be attentive on the road in any driving situation, even in the midst of a funeral procession.
Road accidents are truly preventable. However, incidents such as these may still happen during a funeral procession, especially if drivers neglect their due diligence. More so, when proper observance of traffic law and regulations is not done.
For example, yielding and giving the right of way to vehicles participating in a funeral procession are among the common rules and regulations implemented and observed. Abiding by this can significantly help avoid unfortunate car accidents and vehicle collisions.
More so, if you are part of the convoy of vehicles involved in the procession, maintaining your position in line at all times and observing the proper speed can also help prevent incidents such as pedestrian accidents.
While it is true that you cannot predict how other drivers on the road will behave, discipline can start with you.
But aside from being responsible for the lives of your passengers and other motorists and pedestrians on the road, proper observance of the law can also spare you hefty fines and charges and personal injury and negligence lawsuits.
Final Words
Funeral processions have been a tradition observed by most for years now. It’s a great way to commemorate a deceased loved one. More so, a dignified way to bid them farewell before laying them to their final resting place.
Because these processions can take up a significant amount of time, more so a space on the road, traffic protocols and regulations are highly beneficial. They are set in place to create order and organization on the road while a procession is passing through. With that said, it’s only important that both the participants and observers of a funeral procession familiarize themselves with these regulations and responsibly abide by them.
With the helpful guide indicated in this article, you can be better prepared and informed on traffic protocols for funeral processions. Keeping them in mind can certainly help you avoid and prevent road mishaps, as well as the nuances of getting charged with fines and lawsuits.
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