posted
I wasn't sure where to put this, so I figured I'd put it here.
On the radio this morning they were talking about not walking through a funeral procession. Well I've always believed that when one goes by, not only are you supposed to not walk through it, but you are supposed to stop and wait for it to pass out of respect.
HAs anyone else heard this?
Also, what happens if the procession is extremely long, and you are subject to mundane things, like being late for work, lunch hour, shcool?
-------------------- Dad, what are books? Look it up on the internet son. Posts: 66 | From: Washington, D.C. | Registered: Mar 2005
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guruwan2b
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
We always stop out of respect for the deceased and their family. Being a small town, you don't have many people walking, but cars all pull to the side of the road until the procession has passed.
-------------------- Too much of this navel gazing and we'll disappear up our own arses. Danvers Carew Posts: 7465 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I don't know that I've ever come across a funeral procession on foot. In a car, I believe that legally, you are supposed to pull over and let them pass. As for being late for work or what not, it's no different from being delayed by construction, emergency vehicles or a train.
posted
Well, yeah, of course you're not supposed to walk through a procession. You'd get run over
Around here the speed limit for processions is 25 mph. Those who are in line have the right of way--they are even allowed to run a red light if it changes midway through. It doesn't give the other side a chance to go.
And well, if you are late for school or work, you probably should have left a little bit earlier then
-------------------- This song has no title...just words and a tune.
posted
The last time we had a funeral in the family we talked with the funeral director about this. Contrary to popular belief, funeral processions are not nor have they ever been exempt from traffic laws. They don't have the right of way over other traffic, nor can they tie up intersections and keep passing through red lights. Police escorts - usually on motorcycle - are no longer available for any sum of money, because too many officers got injured by impatient drivers. A private company still does the motorcycle escort if you want it, but they can't stop or direct traffic. People may stop or pull over out of courtesy, but because they don't have to, many of them don't. I'm sure that where people live right beside a funeral home (or cemetary) feel that they don't have the time to stop for every funeral procession. And a lot of people do have better things to do.
-------------------- "The fate of *billions* depends on you! Hahahahaha....sorry." Lord Raiden - Mortal Kombat Posts: 1587 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Hero_Mike: Contrary to popular belief, funeral processions are not nor have they ever been exempt from traffic laws. They don't have the right of way over other traffic, nor can they tie up intersections and keep passing through red lights. Police escorts - usually on motorcycle - are no longer available for any sum of money, because too many officers got injured by impatient drivers. A private company still does the motorcycle escort if you want it, but they can't stop or direct traffic. People may stop or pull over out of courtesy, but because they don't have to, many of them don't.
Not true here. From the Massachusetts Drivers manual:
quote:If you meet a funeral procession on a roadway, you must yield the right-of-way until all vehicles in the procession have passed. It is illegal to cut through or disrupt any vehicles in a funeral procession.
Police details can also be hired if necessary, but they have to be paid for.
Four Kitties
-------------------- If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales? Posts: 13275 | From: Kindergarten World, Massachusetts | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
With regards to my previous post, I should have mentioned that this was in Ontario, Canada.
-------------------- "The fate of *billions* depends on you! Hahahahaha....sorry." Lord Raiden - Mortal Kombat Posts: 1587 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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guruwan2b
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
Again since I live in a small town, the police provide an escort and stop traffic at all major intersections. Since we don't have a traffic light in town, it is only the 2 4-way stops that need police.
Kim "yes, it's a one horse town"
-------------------- Too much of this navel gazing and we'll disappear up our own arses. Danvers Carew Posts: 7465 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Just to second Four Kitties response, Delaware's laws regarding this topic seem to mirror Massachusetts'.
-------------------- Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on. Winston Churchill Posts: 821 | From: Delaware | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I'd say you should stop and wait out of respect. But are you talking about a funeral procession that is stopped, or moving slowly. I can't see anytime when it would be okay to proceed through a moving procession, even if it is just moving slowly. If it is stopped you should be able to go around (behind) it.
posted
I don't understand the "walking through" part. Why would you even want to? It's a line of moving traffic!
As for being in a car when I have to stop and wait for funeral processions; it irritates me at first when I have to miss a traffic light, or I'm already running late. But then I remind myself that if I'm not patient I could end up like the person the procession is for!
quote:Originally posted by Bad Ronald: Just to second Four Kitties response, Delaware's laws regarding this topic seem to mirror Massachusetts'.
Same in Minnesota, you have to yield for a fumeral (unless they changed it since I read the book)
-------------------- W.W.F.S.M.D? But this image of Bush as some sort of Snidely Whiplash tying the fair maiden to the railroad tracks is beyond the pale. - Joe Bentley Posts: 2311 | From: Minnnesota | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by 2ys4u: I don't understand the "walking through" part. Why would you even want to? It's a line of moving traffic!
The general understanding is that pedestrians have the "right of way" over vehicular traffic - in that a vehicle is obliged to stop (if possible) for a person in their way, on the road, even if they shouldn't be there. You can't run over pedestrians, though you might want to.
If a person tries to cross, at a crosswalk or intersection, through a funeral procession, I doubt that the cars have "right of way" over the pedestrian.
I would guess that the exception to this rule are controlled-access highways, where pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles aren't allowed. If you run over a person crossing such a highway, you are not likely to be at fault because they aren't expected to be there in the first place.
-------------------- "The fate of *billions* depends on you! Hahahahaha....sorry." Lord Raiden - Mortal Kombat Posts: 1587 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
In Ohio, it's absolute. The only things that can break a funeral procession are trains (as they can't stop), and emergency personnel.
-------------------- "To be or not to be! That is the question! Now, will you answer, dare, double dare, or take the Physical Challenge?" --Mark Summers as Hamlet Countdown: 177 days and counting... or less. My blog. 14 keyboards owed. Posts: 5584 | From: Ohio | Registered: Dec 2003
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Two ladies went down to take lunch at a place across the street from their building. The funeral procession was about 10 blocks long but for the most part was stopped due to regular traffic congestion.
They wanted to cut through the procession to cross the street to get lunch.
Would it have been disrespect, meaning they should have waited the half hour it took for the procession to go by, or since they only had an hour lunch, would it been ok to cut through?
-------------------- Dad, what are books? Look it up on the internet son. Posts: 66 | From: Washington, D.C. | Registered: Mar 2005
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Sub-Contractor
The Red and the Green Stamps
posted
quote:Originally posted by Mystara: The situation on the radio was like this:
Two ladies went down to take lunch at a place across the street from their building. The funeral procession was about 10 blocks long but for the most part was stopped due to regular traffic congestion.
They wanted to cut through the procession to cross the street to get lunch.
Would it have been disrespect, meaning they should have waited the half hour it took for the procession to go by, or since they only had an hour lunch, would it been ok to cut through?
Well, if I were the corpse I'd like people to have at least a fleeting "Sorry you're dead" for me...so I wouldn't mind if people in this situation went on to lunch and such.
So, my take is that if you're going to end-up cursing the departed anyway...go ahead and break custom and the law, but be prepared for the ticket and don't do the ground work for another procession .
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I remember the stories of what may be the longest procession I have ever heard of. The paper down there even backs it up, elevating it from UL to possible.
Ed Selvey was Martins Ferry's favorite son. Master of the Lodge down there for some years, every office and body you can think of, and most importantly, International Grand Master of Scottish Rite Masons for several terms. The story goes, and there is photographic proof of it (supposedly) that he also gave the Funeral Rite for Harry Truman.
When he died, there were delegates from every nation in which the Scottish Rite existed to see him off. According to the paper down there, the procession extended from the top of the hill at the cemetery to the parking lot at the funeral home- continuously. That's 4.1 miles.
Imagine being stuck with that!
-------------------- "To be or not to be! That is the question! Now, will you answer, dare, double dare, or take the Physical Challenge?" --Mark Summers as Hamlet Countdown: 177 days and counting... or less. My blog. 14 keyboards owed. Posts: 5584 | From: Ohio | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
If the procession isn't processing, it ceases to be a procession and becomes a long line of cars waiting to go the same place. I think you should be able to cross in front of a stopped car. If it was just a long line and moving slowly, I think you're stuck, though.
I accidentally broke the law a week ago. I got on the freeway and there was a cop stopping folks from merging because of a funeral procession. No problem, I waited.
Then the cop drove away and there was a break in the procession, which I thought was the END of the procession. It was not. So now I'm tooling down an empty 8 lane freeway with a whole bunch of people going to a funeral. And there's cops at every exit, I can't even get off. I eventually just exited and hoped for no ticket and that none of them hated me. Thjey probably all thought I was impatient and rude, when really I was just dumb.
It must have been somebody important, they had at least 3 miles of cars and 6 cops escorting.
Posts: 2115 | From: Texas | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
i am from ontario and the funeral procession always seems to have the right of way, and goes through red lights if they have a police escort.
also, when my grandparents died, each time, people all along the rode stopped and you would see them doing the sign of the cross or saluting. this was in orono, outside of attawa. i thought that was really nice of them.
-------------------- if it sounds too good to be true, than it probably is.... Posts: 39 | From: Burlington, Ontario | Registered: Oct 2004
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Darxide
Deployed at a stateside remote location...
posted
If you count the cars in the procession, you will lose a year of your life for every car you count.
True, I swear.
Posts: 11 | From: Holloman AFB, NM | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
When my brother passed away in March of 04, we had the viewing where we live (Southern Ohio), and had the funeral in West Virginia (where my parents grew up, and where all my extended family lives, and where our family cemetery is located). Well, my family and I had no idea about funerals, we had never had to set one up before. So when we told the funeral director we wanted to have the funeral 3 hours away in WV., he was going to have a police escort set up for us, no additional charge. We declined it, because only a few people from Ohio were going and we all car pooled. I'm not sure if it was just the funeral director being nice, or what. Since my brother's death, I have been more respectful of funeral processions. I always pull over and say a prayer, or if I'm walking back and forth between the office and one goes by I stop and say one.
Sorry for rambling all, just my 2 cents.
Have a great day all!
-------------------- "Mind is not a celestial state with idol hymns of praise." ~Pearl Jam "Angel" Posts: 286 | From: Southern, Ohio | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
I just received a funeral notice from California. On the back, it says that funeral processions have to obey all traffic laws.
Posts: 264 | From: Washington, DC | Registered: Nov 2002
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