Stopping For Funerals Is Southern Tradition, But What Does The Law Say?

Stopping for a funeral procession is a Southern tradition, but what does Florida law say?

On Tuesday, a driver stopped for a funeral procession on Highway 29 near Cantonment was rear-ended by another driver that did not stop [Read more ...]. The driver that struck the stopped car was ticketed for careless driving, while the driver that did stop on Highway 29 for the funeral was cited for impeding traffic. The funeral was being escorted by an escort company operating a vehicle with amber and purple lights, as allowed by law.

Amy Holland of Bratt was in the funeral procession for her uncle Carl Caraway. The procession was traveling from Faith Chapel Funeral Home in Cantonment north on Highway 29 to Ray’s Chapel Cemetery on Bogia Road.

“The car landed literally one car length in from my vehicle,” Holland said. “That was one of the scariest moments of my life.”

Florida law states “You shall yield to the procession, now that being said it is customary — not law — to pull off to the side of the road and put your lights on. You cannot just stop in the travel lane and interfere with traffic. Statute does say that standing, stopping or parking is prohibited,” according to Lt. Eddie Elmore of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The law also states that drivers must yield right of way to a funeral, such as at an intersection.

“Regardless of any traffic control device or right-of-way provisions prescribed by state or local ordinance, pedestrians and operators of all vehicles…shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle which is part of a funeral procession being led by a funeral escort vehicle or a funeral lead vehicle,” according to Florida statute. “When the funeral lead vehicle lawfully enters an intersection, either by reason of a traffic control device or at the direction of law enforcement personnel, the remaining vehicles in the funeral procession may follow through the intersection regardless of any traffic control devices or right-of-way provisions prescribed by state or local law.” There are exceptions in the law regarding emergency vehicles and directions given by law enforcement.

“We … cannot stress enough if you are going to stop for a funeral procession, please safely pull off the road and put your hazards on. We are deeply saddened that this accident happened today as we were escorting this funeral,” said Lisa Odom of Odom Pilot Escort, which was operating the escort vehicle for Tuesday’s funeral. ” We are not allowed to run blue lights as we are not police officers; we do, however, have amber and purple lights on all of our vehicles. Our number one priority is to keep everyone safe. Our prayers go out to all the families involved.”

Elmore also acknowledged that Southern tradition of stopping for funeral escorts.

“Now for me personally, I will always pull off the side of the road and turn my lights on just the way I was raised,” the FHP lieutenant said.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.