What You Need to Know About Driving in a Funeral Procession

If you have never attended a funeral before, it can be extremely intimidating. Not only are you experiencing feelings of sadness and grief, but you may also be nervous about things like what to wear and where to sit. This can all be worsened if you are planning to drive in the procession from the funeral home in Bells, TN. to the committal ceremony afterwards. While we can’t cover everything in one article, to help you feel more at ease, today we are going to talk about the rules of the road when it comes to the funeral procession.  

How To Line Up for the Procession

Funeral processions have an order in which the cars are lined up. The order typically goes like this: 

A lead car - This is typically a black sedan and driven by someone from the funeral home. There may be a magnetic flag or other marker on the vehicle marking that it is the beginning of a funeral procession. 

Hearse - Next will be the hearse with the deceased in the casket  

Family vehicle – Immediately following the hearse will be the family vehicle. These vehicles are typically limousines or black sedans and reserved for the immediate family. 

Rest of friends and family - The rest of the friends and family will follow in their own vehicles. 

End vehicle – This will be another vehicle driven by the funeral home and will also have a flag or other marker signifying it is the end of the funeral.  

So how do you get in line? When you arrive at the funeral, there will typically be an attendant that is in charge of parking. Simply let the attendant know you are going to be part of the procession. They will take your car and park it in line. Note that if you wish to be higher up in the line you should arrive early as the cars are placed in the order they arrive.  

Rules of the Road While Driving in the Procession

Pretty much throw out everything out that you learned in drivers education class. While driving in a funeral procession there are unique rules to follow that go against what you may think you should be doing.  

The first rule and example of this is when you are driving in the procession, you want to stay very close to the car in front of you. You want to be close enough that other cars may not be able to cut in. Luckily, the procession will never be driving that fast. Typically it will be moving no more than 55mph on a highway and maybe 35-40mph on all other roads.  

Another thing you need to pay attention to is to always follow the car in front of you, even though yellow and red lights. This goes against what you have been taught, but in the procession, if the car in front of you goes through an intersection with a yellow or red light, you do too. Most processions will have escorts that help stop oncoming traffic, but even so, always look and make sure it is safe while continuing on.  

Directors of funeral homes in Bells, TN. know that driving in a procession for the first time can be intimidating and that is why we do everything they can to make you feel more comfortable and safe. From having the lead and end cars to being on hand to answer questions you have, you can count on us to assist you with whatever you may need.