...might be a good idea to have a marked car or cop controlling the intersection.
...might be a good idea to have a marked car or cop controlling the intersection.
Probably......
When I saw the video description, I expected it to be a lot worse.
I'm amazed at the difference in areas for a funeral procession. In Kentucky, people would stop and pull over. People outside stop what they're doing and bow their heads. In Chicagoland, apparently the general public has never heard of a funeral procession. At my grandmas, we were all moving at about 30 mph on a 50mph road, tailgating each other, and had a funeral home-marked car blocking the intersections with strobes. And we still had people nearly hit us.
Part of the problem is all the folks not following closely enough.
Funeral processions do need an escort, though!
My thoughts are that you need cops for a funeral procession or don't break any traffic laws. If you are running reds and someone with a green hits you/vice versa I can't imagine that the insurance company will side with the funeral goer unless you had a police escort.
Yea, I was expecting worse.
Most processions I see have some kind of escort. They were having a problem with non-LEO bikers with lights not knowing how to properly direct traffic during processions.
It shouldn't be a problem getting a vehicle with caution lights to help control traffic and I wish I saw it more often. Really.
I didn't understand what was going on at first either. I initially honked at the car in front of me, before realizing I didn't roll up to a freshly green light.
Around here there are police escorts and all vehicles in procession are flagged.
That trucker had a long way to go and a short time to get there.
I always wondered how it is that they can assume it's fine to run red lights and stop signs without some sort of safety escort going on ahead.
Respect for the dead aside... It's just damn ignorant to assume cross traffic doing the speed limit with a green light ahead is going to notice that you have a wee little flag on the roof that gives you impunity to disobey rules and defy typical expectations before they are queuing up a 2nd funeral at 45 mph. Imagine a DOT construction crew just suddenly closing a lane on the highway without and lights, signs or cones... by just parking a stopped vehicle there. Craziness.
Looks like a bunch of people running a red light to me.
Not really a good reason to run through the intersection, but I can see how the truck could easily be confused by it and expect them to stop (you know, the whole point of traffic lights).
If the truck hit one of the cars, I would have to say that would clearly be the cars fault. They WERE running a red light.
Agree that was stupidity on the bereaveds' part. There's nothing there to tell anyone why all those idiots are running a red light.
This is a pet peeve for me because I used to live near a large cemetery. We had several motorcycle deputies killed and severely injured accompanying funeral processions. A lot of the time they run down the opposite lane, stopping traffic coming the opposite direction for some stupid reason. I don't think "respect for the dead" is any good reason to risk the lives of LEOs or anyone else. The people attending the burial can bloody well obey the traffic laws from the chapel to the cemetery. The deceased certainly won't give a damned whether they show up a few minutes late.
Sorry, rant off.
The last thing my death should cause is another.
I'm getting shot out of a cannon, HST style.
Last few I've been in, we either had full on police escort, rolling road blocks, or at a minimum police officer leading the way. A couple of times funeral home staff went to every car before we left the parking lot to give instructions and make sure everyone had their hazards flashing. I've been to a lot of funerals since we've moved back to AR, guess they were all waiting on us to get back. 
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I always wondered how it is that they can assume it's fine to run red lights and stop signs without some sort of safety escort going on ahead.
Because it USED to never be an issue. When I started driving, it was an unwritten rule - you see a funeral procession and you stop to let them go.
Now everyone is in a berking hurry and waiting an extra minute or so is such a big effing deal.
Ian F wrote:Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I always wondered how it is that they can assume it's fine to run red lights and stop signs without some sort of safety escort going on ahead.Because it USED to never be an issue. When I started driving, it was an unwritten rule - you see a funeral procession and you stop to let them go. Now everyone is in a berking hurry and waiting an extra minute or so is such a big effing deal.
Why is everyone going to the funeral in such a berking hurry? They're already dead.
In reply to Ian F:
Well it's a WRITTEN RULE to not run red lights...
Ian F wrote:Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I always wondered how it is that they can assume it's fine to run red lights and stop signs without some sort of safety escort going on ahead.Because it USED to never be an issue. When I started driving, it was an unwritten rule - you see a funeral procession and you stop to let them go. Now everyone is in a berking hurry and waiting an extra minute or so is such a big effing deal.
They were crossing a berkeleying 6 lane intersection where cross traffic is going 45mph and there is NO INDICATION.
How would you "see" a funeral procession. All you would see is "Holy berkeleying E36 M3! There are shiny happy people in the middle of the intersection."
That truck wasn't in a hurry - he was oblivious to the notion that there would be a stream of traffic ignoring the laws and general expectations of drivers everywhere.
The problem is that funeral processions are explicitly allowed to ignore red lights and caravan on through, and the laws require you yield right-of-way. Darn if people actually think of that though, since they're rare as all heck!
I honked at a procession turning left in front of me once before I realized what it was as a kid. Man, I felt bad when I figured it out.
kylini wrote: The problem is that funeral processions *are* explicitly allowed to ignore red lights and caravan on through, and the laws require you yield right-of-way. Darn if people actually think of that though, since they're rare as all heck! I honked at a procession turning left in front of me once before I realized what it was as a kid. Man, I felt bad when I figured it out.
This is covered nicely by a classic limerick. How often do you get to say that!
Here lies the body of Dan O'Shea,
Who died protecting is right of way.
His right was clear.
His will was strong.
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.
In reply to kylini:
Show me the law
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Imagine a DOT construction crew just suddenly closing a lane on the highway without and lights, signs or cones... by just parking a stopped vehicle there. Craziness.
It's funny you mention that, but here in VA, VDOT does that E36 M3 all the time. Took some getting used to coming from NJ where work zones are very well marked.
Why the hell are funeral processions allowed to run red lights in the first place? That seem really stupid to me.
bgkast wrote: In reply to kylini: Show me the law
Here you go.
Missouri Revised Statutes:
Chapter 194 Death--Disposition of Dead Bodies
Section 194.500
194.500. As used in sections 194.500 to 194.512, the following terms mean:
"Funeral director", a person licensed as a funeral director pursuant to the provisions of chapter 333, RSMo;
"Funeral lead vehicle" or "lead vehicle", any motor vehicle equipped with at least one lighted circulating lamp exhibiting an amber or purple light or lens or alternating flashing headlamps visible under normal atmospheric conditions for a distance of five hundred feet from the front of the vehicle. A hearse or coach properly equipped may be a lead vehicle;
"Organized funeral procession", two or more vehicles accompanying the remains of a deceased person from a funeral establishment, church, synagogue or other place where a funeral service has taken place to a cemetery, crematory or other place of final disposition, or a funeral establishment, church, synagogue or other place where additional funeral services will be performed, if directed by a licensed funeral director from a licensed establishment.
Section 194.503
Right-of-way--use of lead vehicles--emergency vehicles with right-of-way, when.
Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, pedestrians and operators of all other vehicles shall yield the right-of- way to any vehicle which is a part of an organized funeral procession.
Notwithstanding any traffic control device or right-of-way provision prescribed by state or local law, when the funeral lead vehicle in an organized funeral procession lawfully enters an intersection, all vehicles in the procession shall follow the lead vehicle through the intersection. The operator of each vehicle in the procession shall exercise the highest degree of care toward any other vehicle or pedestrian on the roadway.
An organized funeral procession shall have the right-of-way at all intersections regardless of any traffic control device at such intersections, except that operators of vehicles in an organized funeral procession shall yield the right-of-way to any approaching emergency vehicle pursuant to the provisions of section 304.022, RSMo, or when directed to do so by a law enforcement officer.
Section 194.509
Regulations for nonparticipating vehicle operators--violations, penalty.
Any person who is not an operator of a vehicle in an organized funeral procession shall not: (1) Drive between the vehicles comprising an organized funeral procession while such vehicles are in motion and have the flashing emergency lights lighted pursuant to subsection 2 of section 194.506, except when required to do so by a law enforcement officer or when such person is operating an emergency vehicle giving an audible or visual signal; (2) Join a funeral procession for the purpose of securing the right- of-way granted in section 194.506; or (3) Attempt to pass any vehicle in an organized funeral procession, except where a passing lane has been specifically provided.
When an organized funeral procession is proceeding through a red signal light as permitted in section 194.503, a vehicle not in the organized funeral procession shall not enter the intersection unless such vehicle may do so without crossing the path of the funeral procession.
Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of an infraction which shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars.
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