Funeral Procession Etiquette

With funeral processions at funeral homes in Roanoke, VA, there are some helpful etiquette rules that apply if you’re a part of the funeral procession or if you come upon a funeral procession while you’re driving. 

Funeral processions take a deceased person from the funeral home to the cemetery where they will be buried. It’s important to remember that everyone who is in that funeral procession is mourning a loss, whether it’s a family member or a friend. That warrants respect and honor. 

If you’re in a funeral procession, be sure to get to the funeral home early. The funeral director will have told mourners at the funeral service the night before what time they needed to be at the funeral home to follow the hearse to the cemetery, so be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before that time so you can get instructions for the funeral procession. 

In a funeral procession, the hearse is the lead car. Immediate family follow directly behind the hearse, and then the rest of the mourners line up behind them. Flags will be placed on all the cars that are in the funeral procession. When you’re in line for the procession, turn your headlights on. This will let other drivers know that you’re in the procession. The last car in the funeral procession will have two flags and the emergency signals turned on. 

Stay with the procession and don’t speed. Funeral processions move slowly on purpose as part of a way to honor and respect the deceased. When you get to the cemetery, follow the directions of the funeral home staff as to parking and where to sit or stand for the graveside service. 

If you are driving and come upon a funeral procession, there is etiquette that should be followed as well. The main thing to remember is that these people are on their way to lay someone they love to rest, and they should be treated respectfully and with honor. 

The first thing you should do if you encounter a funeral procession is to pull off the road and let them pass by. Often people will get out of their cars and bow their heads in respect as the procession passes by. However, if there’s not much of a shoulder on the road, it’s safer to stay in your car and sit until the final car in the funeral procession goes by. 

If you happen to be at a traffic light as a funeral procession goes through an intersection, remember that the right of way belongs to them, so even when your traffic light turns green, stay put and let the drivers in the funeral procession go through the intersection. 

If you encounter a funeral procession on the highway, do not cut in front of any of the cars in the funeral procession and do not pass the funeral procession in the right lane. 

Funeral processions are the last trip for a loved one who has died and a somber trip for the family and friends who join the trip to lay their loved one to rest. We’ll all, at some point in our lives, be in one of those cars up front, so we should always show honor and respect whether we are a mourner in the funeral procession or a driver who comes upon a funeral procession. 

If you want to learn more about funeral processions at funeral homes in Roanoke, VA, our compassionate and experienced staff at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. You can come by our funeral home at 62 Virginia Market Place Dr., Rocky Mount, VA, 24151 or you can contact us today at (540) 334-5151.