Funeral cortege etiquette

[magid]

There's a funeral procession going by my house, and all the cars have little yellow signs or purple flags on top of the car. I'm glad they do: not only is it rainy here today so lots of people have their headlights on, but so many cars now have automatically-on headlights, it's not easy to tell. I remember being in a procession, properly "running" the red light with the rest, and wondering how anyone who'd missed the hearse at the front would know that I was not just being a jackass. (Also noted: the hearses had flashing headlights.)

Comments

[powerfrau.livejournal.com]

In some places it is not legal for a funeral procession to run a red light.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize that. In MA, I remember learning that in driver's ed class, and seeing the potential for confusion.

[cellio]

The time between the beginning of "headlights always on" and the common use of the flags was pretty confusing, so as a driver I'm glad the flags have caught on.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I don't remember seeing the flags before; when did you first notice them?

[cellio]

I first encountered them at my grandmother's funeral in 2001 (in Ohio), but didn't start seeing them on the streets of Pittsburgh until about three or four years ago. It's possible that I just wasn't paying attention and they'd been there longer. I also have no way of knowing how close to universal they are, since (as you point out) without them you can't really identify a procession nowadays unless you catch the beginning.

[electrictruffle.livejournal.com]

Apparently the laws are wildly divergent across different state lines.
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2004/rpt/2004-R-0303.htm

IMHO the approach that makes the most sense is that the entire procession should be treated as a single vehicle. If the 'lead' vehicle enters the intersection legally, then the entire procession is legal to continue even if the light later turns red. Apparently this is the rule in a number of states.

-ETR