If it’s safe to pass…Pass! 
Might be considered bad taste if you do pass and have those ↠Undertaker Overtaker → signs on the rear of your vehicle. 
Our Morrisons wagons are 360hp and plated at 44 tons. Funeral processions overtake me.
Muckaway:
What are your opinions on overtaking hearses? I know it’s not the thing to do on single carriageways but what about duals? Myself and 2 other lorries overtook one on the A40 Witney Bypass earlier and a couple of passengers in a car following invited us for Nescafe as we passed. I’ve always passed hearses on dual carriageways as I don’t see the point tagging along behind them-this one wasn’t even hittting 40mph so sod following that on a sc all the way to Oxford (I take it it was going to the crem’ as there were no flowers).
We frequently get them on the N/B M11, as the crem is situated just a mile or so from Jn14. I feel that as long as you do it in a respectful manner i.e. no noisy clutch-work or close passing,( like one would accord the usual ‘Miss Daisies’ we get in this neck of the woods), then no real offence can be taken. After all, the customer can specify the route if that is a problem to them. One man shuffled off this mortal coil a few years ago, and it was his wish to bee transported along the M11 at 70mph! Good job it wasn’t rammed like it often is
truckyboy:
.maybe they should have a sign “Body on board”…like the ones that say “baby on board”
Would you overtake these?
I would overtake on a dual carriageway, but as I’m paid by the hour, I would be in no rush to overtake on a single.
Just on a slightly different note…
A lot of years ago, when I was cutting my teeth in the transport game, I was employed by a multi national bread company as a ‘van boy’ and one day I was out with an old guy who is probably now dead himself, and as we got out of the truck, a funeral cortege came towards us and he stopped what he was doing, and removed his cap out of respect. That was over 30 years ago, and I still remember it to this day.
God bless ya Bill.
Ken.
As Ang has said above, at Dads funeral a couple of weeks ago, a car which tried to cut up the courtage was shown off by the Lambrettas escorting the Hearse, they certainly didn’t take it lightly and there was plenty who stopped what they were doing or ‘doffed’ their (figurative) hats to Dad as he passed along the way. We weren;t overtaken, even on the very short stretch of the A1(M) we had to travel along.
It’s all about your own personnel respect and beliefs as to how you treat somebody who has passed away & the sensetivities of their family.
If your comfortable in your own beliefs, then who are we to contradict you?
Me however, I was brought up to show the respect to others that we saw given to my Dad a couple of weeks ago & I will live by that!
when driving, i don’t overtake unless on d/c, and i try to do it as respectfully as possable
if i’m walking, and i see one i stop to pay my respects after all people did that at my dad funeral, just people out and not knowing who he was. and i do it as it was somthing i was taught to do.
As Jay said, undertaker should tell all cortege drivers to put headlights on. Helps to avoid the problem of inadvertantly pulling out in the midst of them.
Last funeral I was at they fetched the fella himself on the back of his own ERF flat. Lovely touch.
Two friends are fishing near a bridge. Suddenly a Hearse and two Funeral Cars go over the bridge so one of the men stands up, takes off his cap and bows his head. When the cars have gone he puts his cap back on, sits back down and carries on fishing. His mate turns to him and says, “Dave, that’s one of the nicest most respectful things I’ve ever seen "
Dave replies,” Well we were married for nearly 20 years."
I would overtake, as others have said, steadily, on a DC.
Muckaway:
‘…What are your opinions on overtaking hearses…?’
Crikey! The ‘British’ discussing death? Whatever next!
Don’t look to old fashioned good manners because we’ve successfully been liberalised into chaotic dissarray by heathen leaders, but I got put to the test in my jam-jar this week on the A5 N/B through Milton Keynes.
Having been in the lead car for my Dad two years ago - and getting very effectively dissed by all and sundry as they blithely wazzed past - my instinct this week was to totally resepct the hearse by not overtaking.
I was committed to stay in lane two and stayed two cars back from the deceased whilst matching its 30mph. I felt extremely uncomfortable but my respect & empathy for the vulnerable in the cortege overcame my unease, so that was that.
Did I pee off anyone behind? No doubt I did, but I felt for them too but their inconvenience is now over - but those bereaved friends and family might recall for life how (insert name here) got a good send-off when ‘motorists’ gave them space during the final event bestowed on their loved-one’s life. I suppose that it took bottle to be committed to civility on my behalf - but that’s me and isn’t met or matched by many (?).
My conclusion is that we only die once - so why not give respect? We don’t initially ask for life, but surely the end of it is sacred - or have we become so uncivilised that money/time/Tesco, etc has now fully ensnared us into being feral at all times?
Off thread: Anyone here know anything about a ‘hearse incident’ on the A421 Bedford by-pass about 6-7 months ago?
Happy Keith:
Muckaway:
‘…What are your opinions on overtaking hearses…?’Crikey! The ‘British’ discussing death? Whatever next!
Don’t look to old fashioned good manners because we’ve successfully been liberalised into chaotic dissarray by heathen leaders, but I got put to the test in my jam-jar this week on the A5 N/B through Milton Keynes.
Having been in the lead car for my Dad two years ago - and getting very effectively dissed by all and sundry as they blithely wazzed past - my instinct this week was to totally resepct the hearse by not overtaking.
I was committed to stay in lane two and stayed two cars back from the deceased whilst matching its 30mph. I felt extremely uncomfortable but my respect & empathy for the vulnerable in the cortege overcame my unease, so that was that.
Did I pee off anyone behind? No doubt I did, but I felt for them too but their inconvenience is now over - but those bereaved friends and family might recall for life how (insert name here) got a good send-off when ‘motorists’ gave them space during the final event bestowed on their loved-one’s life. I suppose that it took bottle to be committed to civility on my behalf - but that’s me and isn’t met or matched by many (?).
My conclusion is that we only die once - so why not give respect? We don’t initially ask for life, but surely the end of it is sacred - or have we become so uncivilised that money/time/Tesco, etc has now fully ensnared us into being feral at all times?
Off thread: Anyone here know anything about a ‘hearse incident’ on the A421 Bedford by-pass about 6-7 months ago?
I think people are making mountains out of mole hills. It’s all fake anyway and only done because “it’s the done thing”. Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? Stinks of hypocrisy to me. It’s like those people who don’t have time for their family members when they’re alive and never see them nor give a ■■■■ about them, but yet when they are dead they’re there at the funeral to “pay their respects”. WTF. Can’t stand hypocrisy. It’s all about saving face and nothing else.
Rob K:
Happy Keith:
Muckaway:
‘…What are your opinions on overtaking hearses…?’Crikey! The ‘British’ discussing death? Whatever next!
Don’t look to old fashioned good manners because we’ve successfully been liberalised into chaotic dissarray by heathen leaders, but I got put to the test in my jam-jar this week on the A5 N/B through Milton Keynes.
Having been in the lead car for my Dad two years ago - and getting very effectively dissed by all and sundry as they blithely wazzed past - my instinct this week was to totally resepct the hearse by not overtaking.
I was committed to stay in lane two and stayed two cars back from the deceased whilst matching its 30mph. I felt extremely uncomfortable but my respect & empathy for the vulnerable in the cortege overcame my unease, so that was that.
Did I pee off anyone behind? No doubt I did, but I felt for them too but their inconvenience is now over - but those bereaved friends and family might recall for life how (insert name here) got a good send-off when ‘motorists’ gave them space during the final event bestowed on their loved-one’s life. I suppose that it took bottle to be committed to civility on my behalf - but that’s me and isn’t met or matched by many (?).
My conclusion is that we only die once - so why not give respect? We don’t initially ask for life, but surely the end of it is sacred - or have we become so uncivilised that money/time/Tesco, etc has now fully ensnared us into being feral at all times?
Off thread: Anyone here know anything about a ‘hearse incident’ on the A421 Bedford by-pass about 6-7 months ago?
I think people are making mountains out of mole hills. It’s all fake anyway and only done because “it’s the done thing”. Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? Stinks of hypocrisy to me. It’s like those people who don’t have time for their family members when they’re alive and never see them nor give a [zb] about them, but yet when they are dead they’re there at the funeral to “pay their respects”. WTF. Can’t stand hypocrisy. It’s all about saving face and nothing else.
I see where you’re coming from, but it’s more about respecting the grieving living than the cadaver in the box. The corpse don’t give a zb, but the relatives left behind might.
But you’re right about hypocrisy. I’ve just posted some waffle about how the living may care, but personally I wouldn’t be bothered about overtaking a hearse and if I was a mourner I wouldn’t care about being overtaken. I wouldn’t think twice about overtaking on a d/c, but would not overtake on a s/c unless it was absolutely safe to do so without breaking up or cutting up the funeral precession which is unlikely in my gutless mecedes truck.
On a lighter note, i was at a funeral and the coffin was in the front room…i duly paid my respects but noticed an envelope at the deceased feet. I approached the widow and asked her why there was an envelope in the coffin.
She told me that while he was in hospital he had told her that although he didnt have long to go, could she grant him his last wish, to which she replied, Of course darling
He continued to tell her that maybe he would need money in heaven, and could she withdraw all his cash from the bank, and place it in the coffin to take with him when his time comes.
So i asked her if she had in fact placed all of his cash in with him, and was that the reason the envelope was at his feet.
Dont be silly she said…I wrote him out a cheque… 
truckyboy:
On a lighter note, i was at a funeral and the coffin was in the front room…i duly paid my respects but noticed an envelope at the deceased feet. I approached the widow and asked her why there was an envelope in the coffin.
She told me that while he was in hospital he had told her that although he didnt have long to go, could she grant him his last wish, to which she replied,Of course darling
He continued to tell her that maybe he would need money in heaven, and could she withdraw all his cash from the bank, and place it in the coffin to take with him when his time comes.
So i asked her if she had in fact placed all of his cash in with him, and was that the reason the envelope was at his feet.
Dont be sillyshe said…I wrote him out a cheque…
drum roll/cymbal crash
Rob K:
I think people are making mountains out of mole hills. It’s all fake anyway and only done because “it’s the done thing”. Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? Stinks of hypocrisy to me. It’s like those people who don’t have time for their family members when they’re alive and never see them nor give a [zb] about them, but yet when they are dead they’re there at the funeral to “pay their respects”. WTF. Can’t stand hypocrisy. It’s all about saving face and nothing else.
This^. I have never been to a funeral and have no intentions of ever going to one.
Rob K:
‘…Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? … Can’t stand hypocrisy … It’s all about saving face and nothing else…’
Fair points and not uncommon, I’m sure.
However, my answer to the first Q is a civilised ‘yes …why not’
I am British & borne from a predominantly Christian civility. Just because some political arse-pieces have smashed & ignored my nation’s hitherto culture to bits and handed out compensation and tax-funded gifts, etc to foreign interlopers, I refuse to be diluted to their weak, populist and over-liberalised standards.
OK, so you’re disenfranchised, but why adopt such a wholesome ‘it’s not fair’ sulk indicating a carte-blanche lack of forgiveness and humility in oneself and others respectively? Though in fairness, I acknowledge that many decent laws and customs have been trashed in recent decades to let the self-centered do as they ■■■■ well please.
Does this argument really expect a bloke to ‘know’ everyone else before ‘respect’ can be given to society as a whole?
Hands up who aint a hypocrite? I (sadly) am. We all are mate - each and every one of us on this planet!
Where does any benefit exist in adhering to such a polarised ‘basic’: Maybe get over the self-absorbed tantrum in a teacup …or at least, for means of entertainment alone, let us know if you wear a national football shirt 
Coffeeholic:
Rob K:
I think people are making mountains out of mole hills. It’s all fake anyway and only done because “it’s the done thing”. Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? Stinks of hypocrisy to me. It’s like those people who don’t have time for their family members when they’re alive and never see them nor give a [zb] about them, but yet when they are dead they’re there at the funeral to “pay their respects”. WTF. Can’t stand hypocrisy. It’s all about saving face and nothing else.This^. I have never been to a funeral and have no intentions of ever going to one.
But you will go to 1 yours 
I have only been to a few never intended going to any & if could get out I would
We’re getting a bit off topic here, but whilst other people are mentioning it:
I’ve lost count of the number of funerals I’ve been to. Parents of friends, neighbours, friends, and all 3 of my family. 
animal:
Coffeeholic:
Rob K:
I think people are making mountains out of mole hills. It’s all fake anyway and only done because “it’s the done thing”. Did any of you have any “respect” for this person when they were alive? Did you personally get to know them because you wanted to? The likely answer to those answers is “no”, so why suddenly become all respectful when they’re dead? Stinks of hypocrisy to me. It’s like those people who don’t have time for their family members when they’re alive and never see them nor give a [zb] about them, but yet when they are dead they’re there at the funeral to “pay their respects”. WTF. Can’t stand hypocrisy. It’s all about saving face and nothing else.This^. I have never been to a funeral and have no intentions of ever going to one.
But you will go to 1 yours
No I won’t because there won’t be one for me to go to. Body left to medical science so no funeral.