Funeral procession etiquette on interstate

Pass, there are two (or more) lanes each direction for a reason.

I would not pass in the same direction but I would not pull over if in the opposing lane.

The point of an escort is to keep the party together so nobody gets lost or they all arrive together. When people start passing or need to switch lanes it gets the funeral group all split up which sort of defeats the purpose of the escort. I at least have enough respect for the person that forks up the bill fo that.

Got this from funeralwise.com:

What To Do When You Encounter a Funeral Procession

Just remember that funeral processions have the right-of-way. Here are some additional Do’s and Don’ts on how to handle a funeral procession that passes through an area where you are driving:

Do be respectful.
Do yield – once the lead car has entered traffic, such as going through an intersection – the entire procession will follow without interruption. Even if their traffic light is red and yours is green, you must stop and allow the procession to continue through the intersection until all cars in the procession have passed.
Do look for the last vehicle in the procession – it typically has 2 or more flags and a hazard lights flashing. Once it passes by, you may resume the normal flow of traffic.
Don’t cut into or cut off a procession.
Don’t honk at a car in a funeral procession.
Don’t pass a funeral procession on the right side on a highway, unless the procession is in the far left lane.

It sounds like on the interstate, you can pass the procession in the left lane?

Pass.

If I'm a passenger, I show them a pressed ham.

The procession should all be in one lane, so I don't see why not to pass. That one person who doesn't pass ends up causing a traffic backup for miles on the interstate.

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someone passed us and one of the cops went after the guy

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I wonder what he did when he caught up to him?

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At least don't weave in and out. If you have an exit coming up, dont cross over into the procession. Stay behind until it passes. We got cut off recently by an a-hole who couldn't stand to get to his destination 30 seconds later.

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Yeah, never cut into the procession, that's a dick move.

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When have you ever seen a funeral procession back up the interstate for miles?

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Anecdotal story here-

I worked a funeral for a fallen officer in downtown Baton Rouge.

I was working the switchboard at the funeral home. When a funeral was taking place at a church with a burial at another location, the first car out of the parking lot from the church was to call in and report. Then the last car would do the same. When they arrived at the cemetery they would repeat the process: first car there calls, then the last car there. We typically only had both cars call if it was a large procession with a number of police escorts (I think there was an insurance reason for wanting the times recorded.)

When the lead car left the church, I received the call. They were going to Walker to bury the officer. The lead car called me to report arriving at the cemetery before the last car left the church in downtown Baton Rouge! This was the time they shutdown interstate. I've seen photos and videos of people who pulled over going the other way just to film all the cop cars. Amazing stuff.



But to answer your question - it is extremely rare.