Driving back from the sawmill this morning with a 2 ton load of wood, I met a hearse with mourners coming onto the main Fife coastal trunk road with a geezer in a top hat, tail coat and cane leading the group. He led the hearse around a very busy double roundabout and then along a a straight section of road for another 100 yards or so.

The road was full of artic lorries, couriers and folk with stuff to do, yet once the top hat guy had jumped into a car, it continued at walking pace.

After another 400 yards I’d had enough and overtook the hearse, I felt that this could have gone on all day.

So question, when is it acceptable to overtake a hearse on a busy trunk road?

when it’s safe to do so?

It wasnt so much a road safety issue, more a question of is it disrepectful to overtake those in the cortege? Is there a madatory ‘slow’ speed limit for hearses?

I don’t believe the is a mandatory ‘slow’ limit for hearses, would have thought it’s more to do with dignity.
Won’t be dignified to have the coffin rolling round the back of the hearse, while it does 80 up the local rat run over the speed humps…

Will ask me m8 if I remember, he’s apparently going to start working for a fineral directors.

Well, the cortege has no legal right to restrict other traffic from moving freely, so it’s ok to overtake, as long as it’s safe. As for ‘respect’, that’s not something that you can worry yerself about too much. Everyone has the right to go about their business as unimpeded as possible, so if those in the cortege want you to keep behind, and not overtake, then they aren’t respecting you. The living deserve more respect than a dead husk.

just respectfully, remember everybody in the cars behind are probably related to the poor soul so just be nice and curteous.. dont beep the horn angrily, flash yer lights and then tear around them cutting them up calling them names… I guess the only time I wouldn’t overtkae if you were really near the church… cos then you might as well let them turn in peacefully.

I think it’s polite to wait until the bearer gets back in the car. Then zoom past revving you engine, beeping your horn, flashing your lights and blasting out “Always look on the brightside of Life” on the stereo.

just so long as you don’t run over the guy in the hat.

I guess that if someone was to overtake in a controlled and polite manner no-one would care too greatly as they have more important things on their minds at that point. But if some witless **** flashed by, they may just feel a little let down by their discourtesy…

How important is “getting on with getting on” to you that you can’t sit peacefully in your car for a couple of minutes reflecting of the temporary nature of life, instead of just looking at it as a major inconvenience in your 24/7 21st century “must happen now” lifestyle…

Chill.

I reckon it would always be ok to overtake in a sensible manner, unless of course it was a funeral for a bearer who was killed in a crash when someone overtook his procession – that would be a bit harsh

As for ‘respect’, that’s not something that you can worry yerself about too much

Maybe that sort of attitude is what’s wrong with the world today, and why nobody gives a **** about anyone else.

Lol @ Steve-g!

Nickc & Jon1973

Believe me I’m as mellow as the next guy. I waited to allow the cortege to join the carriageway. I could see the point of a group of people passing slowly through their neighbourhood, but this is a featureless unpopulated A road. I thought perhaps the deceased may have been a farmer who was passing his land or some such other reason.

There has to be a point of balance on both sides. Funeral director v all other road users. Surely the church or crematorium is the place to mourn, not a main road.

They’re not likely to be going far at that pace

I’d wait or turn off & find a different route

blasting out “Always look on the brightside of Life” on the stereo

Nothing wrong with that, the SOs gran chose that for her funeral a few months back, better than the usual musical choice.

just as long you didn’t moony them…

They’re not likely to be going far at that pace

We did High Etherley to Durham (~13 miles) at that speed for my wife’s gran’s funeral. Took bloomin’ ages.

mcmoonter – Member

Nickc & Jon1973

Believe me I’m as mellow as the next guy. I waited to allow the cortege to join the carriageway. I could see the point of a group of people passing slowly through their neighbourhood, but this is a featureless unpopulated A road. I thought perhaps the deceased may have been a farmer who was passing his land or some such other reason

sounds about right to me.

Don’t overtake when the bearer is still marching infront, don’t overtake thru towns, don’t overtake until you can get past the whole procession in one go.

At my auntie’s funeral this spring, the cortege did walking pace through High Wycombe until it hit the roundabout by the supermarket, then the driver of the hearse went off like a <Guitar chord> bat out of hell </GC> he certainly didn’t impede the traffic!

blatted past one on my motorbike

reckoned it was okay as it was my uncle in it and he was into his bikes, so thought he’d appreciate it…………………

I reckon it’s OK to pass, as long as you match your passing speed sensibly to a respectable bit faster than the speed of the cortege….. for example:

When my Nan died, she was living near us (Reading) but her wish was to be cremated and ashes interred down in Worthing where her family home was and where Grandad was too. So she was prepared and readied by our local firm and then driven down in the hearse on the morning to Worthing Crem for the funeral. We (Mum, Dad, Sis and I) had to arrive before she did because she was going to be borne into the chapel by her 4 sons, so my dad needed to be there for a crash course in pallbearing with his 3 brothers.

Unfortunately, traffic around Dorking was awful and both we and the hearse were held up badly. In true family tradition, we’d been late in setting off so we were wellying it down the A24 with no hearse in sight. We finally passed her doing 95 just north of Washington about 2 miles shy of the crem, with about 3 mins to the appointed hour.

And we were pissing ourselves laughing, because the local undertaker was Tony, my best mate from school’s dad, who had a look of steely determination and a fixed gaze as he piloted this hearse down the A24 at speeds far from those considered ‘respectable’ in the trade. And secondly – because Nan was a reknowned back seat driver, and even in death we could all imagine her banging on the lid and berating him to slow down.

Being an ex-publican, it was a hell of a wake too!

… involving gin (lots of), no trousers and “Delilah”

was overtaken by a hearse on the motorway last weekend, could have only been a hand full of digits away from 3 figures

otherwise, what you did sounds fine, walking fella got back in and you cleared the lot in one go

booting it with a loaded trailer probably left the procession in a black cloud though?

No doubt every policeman lives for the moment he can deliver the “we’ve already got one dead body” line to a speeding hearse driver…

Lean on the horn whilst screaming…

…”CUTNS **** DEAD, YOU MISERABLE TOERAGS! HE DOESN’T **** CARE! I **** CARE! I’M IN A **** RUSH! PUBS SHUT IN ELEVEN HOURS! GOT AN **** APPOINTMENT WITH CAPTAIN STELLA! AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH…

….as you blitz past at 120mph.

Or maybe not.

when you are an ambulance/fireengine/police car …..or on a dual carridge way

any other time i would wait at the back and not risk interupting the procession with a failed overtake !

On my Mums funneral, we where in a turn right junction,to cross the other lane, on a 30 mph road,the car coming towards us slowed and flashed his lights to let us cross, a muppet driveing a BMW, then decided to overtake the car who had slowed and almost ran into the side of our limousine,to much swearing and arm waving by him.

Only for central locking on our car and the following, there would have been a good old fashioned beating,as we couldnt open the doors.

So always please respect the deceased,nothing is worth the rushing for,and you may well have a accident to which your family will need to attend your funneral and then how will they feel.

i nearly drove into the back of an unloading hearse once. they really shouldnt have been parked on a blind corner

mcmoonter – at least you’ve fixed teh head gasket and didn’t leave them in a cloud of black smoke! 🙂

Mustard, Its pulling like a train now. An electric train not The Flying Scotsman.

Effortless overtaking with perhaps 2.75 tons of wood and trailer.

so if those in the cortege want you to keep behind, and not overtake, then they aren’t respecting you.

Why’s it all about ‘respect’ these days? If there are people mourning the death of a loved one, I would think its fair to cut them some slack and accept a certain amount of ‘disrespect’.

How important is “getting on with getting on” to you that you can’t sit peacefully in your car for a couple of minutes reflecting of the temporary nature of life, instead of just looking at it as a major inconvenience in your 24/7 21st century “must happen now” lifestyle…

Chill.

Nicely put nickc