Funeral convoys

[Night Train]

What's the position with funeral convoys?

The other day I was cycling to the theatre, where I am designing and painting the set, and came across a queue of cars emerging from a side road, to my left just ahead, and stopped at a give way straight ahead at the end of the road. The road is normally very quiet and so this was unusal in itself.
As I approached to pass the side road the car at the give way ahead began to move off and the whole queue followed, including the line of cars in the side road. The driver of the car emerging as I was about to pass didn't even look and just pulled out ahead of me causing me to emergency stop. As I shouted 'Oi!' the driver glanced at me and carried on followed by the rest of the cars behind. Then I noticed the car at the front of the queue was a hearse.

Do funeral convoys have the right to ignore give way lines and other road users or is it just a plot to increase business for the funeral company?

 

[gaz]

Pay respect to the dead and their grieving families, let them go and be on their way. It is an unwritten rule of the road. And one you will very much understand when you are in a funeral convoy.

 

[slowmotion]

How about giving them a break? Anyway, a one finger salute would probably go un-noticed in the circumstances.

 

[CopperCyclist]

They don't have any actual rights in law, but let them go together as a convoy for decencies sake.

 

[Fletch456]

It is an unwritten rule a funeral convoy gets right of way - its a more diluted version of years ago pedestrian would stand still and watch them pass to pay their respects and doff their hat, when hat wearing was common place.

 

[slowmotion]

It is an unwritten rule a funeral convoy gets right of way - its a more diluted version of years ago pedestrian would stand still and watch them pass to pay their respects and doff their hat, when hat wearing was common place.

Doffing your hat was a true mark of respect. A master at a school I once went to told how he was watching the funeral barge of some Catholic archbishop in Venice when he was young, and realised that he was not wearing any headwear to tip, Quick as a flash, he lit up a cigarette so that he could throw it away as a substitute gesture.

 

[dawesome]

I stopped when a cortege passed and took my woolly hat off. A guy jogging did the same on the way to my uncle's funeral. That's the right thing to do.

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^^^

Absolutely.

 

[Night Train]

I have great respect for the dead, and funerals, but I'm not ready to be knocked off my bike because they don't look before pulling out of a side road. The driver was behind the give way and didn't look like she was keeping up with the cars in front and she only pulled out, without looking, as I was about to pass her.

Had there been any indication it was a funeral then I would have stopped to let them out.
Couldn't see the hearse from where I was approaching until after it turned onto the next road and there was no indication that it was any thing other then traffic.

When my brother died there were two funeral cars in convoy. The rest of the morners were asked to meet us there to avoid a mile long convoy going through London so, yeah, I know what it is like and my consideration was for all the other road users.

 

[growingvegetables]

Pay respect to the dead and their grieving families, let them go and be on their way. It is an unwritten rule of the road.

+1
in their own time, and at their own pace. Respect.

 

[locker]

I have great respect for the dead, and funerals, but I'm not ready to be knocked off my bike because they don't look before pulling out of a side road. The driver was behind the give way and didn't look like she was keeping up with the cars in front and she only pulled out, without looking, as I was about to pass her.

Had there been any indication it was a funeral then I would have stopped to let them out.
Couldn't see the hearse from where I was approaching until after it turned onto the next road and there was no indication that it was any thing other then traffic.

When my brother died there were two funeral cars in convoy. The rest of the morners were asked to meet us there to avoid a mile long convoy going through London so, yeah, I know what it is like and my consideration was for all the other road users.

Be more observant & more respectful, nuff said

 

[Nigeyy]

Interesting.

I agree with the comments of giving respect to a funeral cortege, however, one issue I have is that sometimes it's not obvious (at least over here). Once in my car I ended up moving into the lane right in the middle of a procession -didn't even realize it was a procession as the hearse was out of sight -only realized when I saw a small sticker on the front windshield after seeing it in my rear view mirror! It was the only sign on the car that let it be known it was in a funeral -no signs on the back, just a small sign on the front. I felt like a real idiot -but I can't help thinking it would be sensible to have better signage.

Biggest boo boo was cycling on a USAF base over here -when I came across a car just stopped in the middle of the road. Not even thinking twice about it, I just overtook it (after a while you get used to people doing incredibly strange random car manoeuvres, you just accept it as the norm). Well.... it was the afternoon playing of the Stars and Stripes..... good job an MP didn't see me (you're supposed to stop and face any available flag). I'd just tuned out the music without thinking about it -I might have got into a lot of trouble for that one!

 

[Nigeyy]

Fair enough. While I agree you should stop and yield for a funeral procession, it's hard when you don't know it's one!

I have great respect for the dead, and funerals, but I'm not ready to be knocked off my bike because they don't look before pulling out of a side road. The driver was behind the give way and didn't look like she was keeping up with the cars in front and she only pulled out, without looking, as I was about to pass her.

Had there been any indication it was a funeral then I would have stopped to let them out.

 

[eddiemee]

A lot of the comments seem to criticise the OP, but the fact is he didn't know it was a funeral procession. Therefore this is a matter or road safety as opposed to etiquette/respect. The fact is that the driver that pulled out should not have assumed that traffic on the major road would be aware of the hearse. Even if they were, they should have been careful pulling out and made sure there was no risk to other road users.

 

[P_Dalen]

It is an unwritten rule of the road.

In my country (Norway) any road user is obliged to "not hinder or disturb" funeral convoys. This is imposed by written regulations. Are you sure it is not the same in UK?

The same applies to military/civil defence convoys, processions and marches ("group of pedestrians supervised by a leader").