The North...Northeast...

timwinters

timwinters

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Y'all know I love to disparage the south, and deservedly so...but there is one thing that really drives me crazy about the north...particularly the northeast.

No one stops for funeral processions.

P***es me off.

Are you in such a f***ing hurry that you can't pull off to the shoulder for one minute to show respect for the deceased?

The south: everyone pulls over.

The midwest: almost everyone pulls over.

The west: it's been too long since I've lived/worked out there to remember.

I'm in eastern Ohio (Steubenville) and today I pulled over for a funeral procession coming the other way. No one else did. I was honked at for doing so. This reminds me of the time I spent working across northern Ohio and southern Michigan. NO ONE pulled over for funeral processions.

I don't understand.

Informal poll: where are you from and do people pull over where you live?

In Missouri, even in the large cities, people pull over (at least that I've seen)
 
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Lived in a lot of different places, but the South mostly. In Alabama we stop. Called respect. Get ya some!
 
Ohio ain't east; it's only, kinda, a little bit east, but in the east, we call it "mid-west". I've never been overtaken from behind by a funeral procession, so never had to pull over. I have waited while one went through as cross traffic. I would expect the funeral home to not/not run one during rush hour in DC, and expect to have it go smoothly, though.

But yeah, it appears most people here (DC Metro area) respect them.
 
Informal poll: where are you from and do people pull over where you live?

Upstate NY (But you knew that) Yes!
 
Sundancer said:
I've never been overtaken from behind by a funeral procession, so never had to pull over.
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Maybe since you're from the NE you don't understand? ;)

When you're going the opposite direction and a funeral procession comes the other way. You pull over to the curb, stop and don't proceed until the last car (they typically have their lights AND flashers on these days) passes you in the opposite direction.
 
Sundancer said:
Ohio ain't east; it's only, kinda, a little bit east, but in the east, we call it "mid-west". I've never been overtaken from behind by a funeral procession, so never had to pull over. I have waited while one went through as cross traffic. I would expect the funeral home to not/not run one during rush hour in DC, and expect to have it go smoothly, though.

But yeah, it appears most people here (DC Metro area) respect them.
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We in the Plains states disagree that Ohio is in the Midwest. You guys are all East Coasters to us...
 
I'm from Colorado and I hate to admit it but I've never heard of this rule. Maybe that's because the only funeral procession I've seen was for a military member and they shut the whole road down. I would not, in a million years, have honked at someone for stopping though, I don't think the cars here are equipped with horns anyway.
 
timwinters said:
Maybe since you're from the NE you don't understand? ;)

When you're going the opposite direction and a funeral procession comes the other way. You pull over to the curb, stop and don't proceed until the last car (they typically have their lights AND flashers on these days) passes you in the opposite direction.
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Sixty years of drivin' and never seen that happen.
 
Jersey boy born and raised. Always stopped at an intersection and let every car thru, green lite or not. Never seen anyone pull over from the opposite direction, ever. Here in the south they pull over when it drizzles. And for funeral processions in any direction.


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If they're crossing my route of travel, I give them right of way. I see no practical reason to pull over just because they're going past me on the other side of the road. All that being said, if the guy in front of me decides to stop and block me from continuing on, I tend to stop as well.
 
I'm from the northeast but I've lived in Colorado the bulk of my life, also California, Missouri and Idaho. I've never heard of traffic stopping for a funeral procession going in the opposite direction. Crossing, yes.
 
Everskyward said:
I'm from the northeast but I've lived in Colorado the bulk of my life, also California, Missouri and Idaho. I've never heard of traffic stopping for a funeral procession going in the opposite direction. Crossing, yes.
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It's a Southern thing, showing respect.

When I lived in Ohio, it took a long time to figure out the lines of cars with purple flags were funerals. Purple flags? Nobody even slowed down.

And from where I grew up (VA, NC, SC, GA, AL and TN), Ohio ain't northeast or midwest, it's just the freakin' North. Having lived there in excess of a decade, in the winter it's God's own freezer; in the summer it's a nice spring afternoon; but all the time it's North and full of Yankees. (See, I'm being polite, I learned that "damn Yankee" is two words in high school. :cool: )

The best part is, I'm back in the South again, and was absolutely flabbergasted by how friendly and polite everyone is. Like Lewis Grizzard said when he moved back from Chicago to Atlanta, I'm gonna nail my feet to the ground. Ain't leaving again with more than a suitcase or two for a visit elsewhere.
 
It seems as if way in the past I learned that cars with their headlights on indicated a funeral procession, but most cars have running lights on all the time now (mine does). Come to think of it, I haven't seen a funeral procession in years. I might have participated in one, once, and it didn't need to travel very far. I agree that people in the south seem friendlier, at least those in service industries do, but I'm happy being a damn Yankee. No desire to move south.
 
Some of it is a local(?) law, too. When I went to my Uncle's funeral in Chicago, maybe 10-15 years ago, the funeral director said it's the law, at least in that jurisdiction - as long as you are in the procession (it's like a "flight of xxx"), you are cleared through any red lights, stop signs, anything, and have the right of way.

I can only think of one time I've come across a procession going the opposite direction. The car in front of me pulled over, so I did, too. If he hadn't pulled over, I like to think that I would have done it anyway. I happened to be in small-town Missouri at the time.
 
Norman said:
Sixty years of drivin' and never seen that happen.
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Ditto (well, not QUITE 60 years of driving - more like 40). Also from the Detroit area. Wait for the procession at cross streets and stop lights, otherwise drive on. Never been overtaken from behind by a funeral.

Not sure what they do here in VT... I've yet to encounter a funeral procession out here!
 
timwinters said:
Maybe since you're from the NE you don't understand? ;)

When you're going the opposite direction and a funeral procession comes the other way. You pull over to the curb, stop and don't proceed until the last car (they typically have their lights AND flashers on these days) passes you in the opposite direction.
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Ahhh. . yes and no. . .DC, and Maryland, and Virgina, which surround it, are definitely not/not the NE. But yes, correct, we do not routinely stop for funerals going the opposite direction. Nice gesture, I think, but also not too practical in heavy commuting times. . .
 
In Oklahoma, everyone pulls to the side of the road and some will turn their headlights on as well as a show of respect. I've never been overtaken by a funeral procession, but certainly have sat through a green light at an intersection to let the procession pass by uninterrupted. If the procession is coming the opposite direction, even on some highways outside of the urban areas, most will pull over.
 
timwinters said:
Are you in such a f***ing hurry that you can't pull off to the shoulder for one minute to show respect for the deceased?
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This is America 2016. Everyone is in a hurry. I learned to pull over for emergency vehicles that have lights and/or sirens in operation, funeral processions, wrecked cars, if you hit a dog (state law) and hitchhiker a in the rain/snow. I grew up in New York State. Much closer to Canada than NY city.

As for the OP: bless his heart. (From your friends down south.) :D
 
Colorado again: I've seen folks pull over on a divided road going the same direction but rarely going the opposite direction. Also seen folks wait patiently at a cross street or other intersection, but...

All the funeral homes here now make you hire off duty cops (motorcycle cops in the summer, cruisers in winter) to handle the intersections for a procession. It's not cheap. They leap frog each other from front to rear and the one playing catch up is going like the speed of heat passing the entire procession to block the next major intersection before the procession gets there. If there's going to be a really long procession they'll leapfrog three or four officers.

So, it's not really "optional" for the cross street traffic to stop around here anymore. The funeral homes lay out the route with the officers and it's not very "peaceful" for those in the procession.
 
Sundancer said:
Ohio ain't east; it's only, kinda, a little bit east, but in the east, we call it "mid-west". I've never been overtaken from behind by a funeral procession, so never had to pull over. I have waited while one went through as cross traffic. I would expect the funeral home to not/not run one during rush hour in DC, and expect to have it go smoothly, though.

But yeah, it appears most people here (DC Metro area) respect them.
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Midwest of what? If you look at a map, Ohio is entirely in the eastern half of the US.
 
I've seen an entire interstate come to a dead stop in both directions for a funeral procession. I've also seen people get out of their cars and stand with their hats off.

Personally I pull over anytime I see one, even if I'm on going the opposite direction on the interstate. It's just polite.
 
If you did that on the interstate around here, you'd have three critical injuries from idiots standing by the side of the road getting hit by texting drivers and at least one "Chopper GO" for an air ambulance for one of those.
 
Everskyward said:
It seems as if way in the past I learned that cars with their headlights on indicated a funeral procession, but most cars have running lights on all the time now (mine does).
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That might be why most funeral processions I see these days also have their flashers on.
 
Norman said:
Sixty years of drivin' and never seen that happen.
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That was at least a monthly happening before I moved north of the Mason Dixon. No one pulls over up here, regardless of direction, but I still do. Their life has stopped forever. Least I can do is stop mine for a few minutes out of respect. But that them thar is the southern Cajun in me.
 
So, it's definitely a regional thing, especially since folks like Norm weren't even aware of the practice. Just another case in point of how large and diverse this country is, it seems.
 
Tim, I'd like to point out some things:

1) Ohio is not the northeast. It's not the east coast. It's also not the midwest. Ohio is a very confused state that has no idea what it is, and everyone in surrounding areas say "No way in hell is Ohio part of my region." I lived there for 3 years and that was abundantly apparent during that time period internally, and also externally living in other parts of the country. When I was in New York, we thought Ohio was midwest. Now that I'm in the midwest, Ohio's a bunch of "damn yankees." My general feeling about Ohio is that they take the worst from the surrounding states (******* attitude of the northeast, exclusionary "Y'all ain't from around here" attitude of the south, and the occasional tornado from the midwest) and lumps it all into one confused, awful state. In fact, this is why the Wright Brothers invented the airplane - so they could get out of Ohio.

2) I was raised in New York City. Funeral processions weren't something we saw with any regularity, and of course we were walking most of the time anyway. Nobody stopped for a funeral procession, but there are few roads with traffic going both ways. People don't even stop and get out of the way for ambulances. For fire trucks, maybe. For cops, you get in their way.

I also spent a lot of time in Virginia as most of my family lived there. In Virginia, people did stop for funeral processions. I clearly recall when my great aunt died her procession not only got a police escort, but every car stopped and people got out of their cars, and stood next to them with their hats off.
 
Meh, regional differences. Where I grew up you only stopped if they were going thru a light or stop sign. Going the opposite way, we never stopped.

Here in the south everyone stops and waits for the last car no matter which direction you're going. Drives me nuts. And don't give me that respect crap, when I'm dead I won't give a ****.
 
ARFlyer said:
I've seen an entire interstate come to a dead stop in both directions for a funeral procession.
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Yeah, that happens here, and it becomes a cluster as our interstates are heavily travelled by folks from all over the east. Some people are hitting the brakes and diving for the shoulder of the interstate while those from places where this custom is not observed are trying to swerve around the stoppers and keep moving on. Then, the stoppers start honking horns, throwing the finger at, and actively try to block the passers with their cars. By golly, it really is one fine show of respect for the deceased. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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Groundpounder said:
If the guy is dead, he doesn't care if people pull over or not. I generally respect people when they are alive, something the South is still struggling with, bless their hearts.
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It's not about whether or not the deceased "cares". It's a show of respect for the deceased and those in the funeral procession. It is generally less than 30 seconds of time waiting for the cars to pass, so it's not a significant impact in most people's drive time. It's akin to removing your hat during the Star Spangled Banner, it's a show of respect which only slightly inconveniences people. The stigma of the Northeastern people being too self-absorbed to observe the passing of a funeral procession is no surprise to me, but I'm from a state who seems to have some ambiguity with regard to being part of the Midwestern, Southern, and Southwest regions.
 
Groundpounder said:
If the guy is dead, he doesn't care if people pull over or not. I generally respect people when they are alive, something the South is still struggling with, bless their hearts.
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Sigh ... the mass migration of those from the northern to southern states would indicate something else. Can't imagine people would be coming down in droves if it were such an inhospitable place. Unfortunately, we're just so charming and welcoming that people can't stay away. You may be on to something, though. If we starting acting like the characters we're made out to be, then just maybe people would stop coming here.

Or better yet, we need to build a wall and make you Yankees pay for it!!

That being said, I have traditionally stopped for funerals on either side of the street. Unfortunately, like @Everskyward pointed out, it is hard to know if it is a procession or how many cars are actually part of the procession with all the daytime running lights.
 
I've been on this earth over 35 years, and I never once heard of pulling over for funerals. I have never encountered it in my travels either, but if I do, it sure sounds like a good opportunity to get ahead of a lot of traffic!
 
Seems like it would cause confusion and hostility unless everyone understands and buys into doing it. It's like the first time I saw a motorcycle lane-splitting in California. I had no idea it was legal since it isn't in most other states.
 
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