Respectful Driving during funeral processions doesn't happen like this in San Antonio (Dallas: schools, living in)

[miche111e]

Originally Posted by LindaGrace

Pulling over/off the road for a funeral procession is common courtesy where I grew up.

The last funeral I went to here in SA was on the west side. The drivers there all pulled over or got off the road so the entire procession could go through.

Same here. I think a lot of us "old school" Texans know about this courtesy, but there are so many transplants here and I honestly don't know what manners (ahem...courtesies) are taught in other states.

[jz28]

Must be on rare occasions ,I have yet to witness that here in San Antonio

[gabetx]

In March, when a good family friend of mine who had passed away who was a police officer for Corpus Christi died, we had to drive from the service in CC to the burial site in SA. We had a 5-7 mile long convoy going to the funeral. What was so awesome about it was the whole 130 miles or so, all the way up until SA, people pulled over and got out of their cars. There was a biker at every mile marker with an American flag pulled over saluting the convoy for about the first 100 miles. Everyone would turn on their emergency lights, DPS officers would turn on their over heads and sirens, people stopped on the over passes draping American flags down it. It was so awesome. It made my eyes tear up every mile of the way. And that was on I-37. But once we hit SA, the convoy was broken up by truckers and speeding drivers. That kind of made me mad. There was a lot of SAPD on the exit ramps and sides of the roads. At the entrance of the graveyard were dozens of fire trucks with their ladders up with the American flag draping down, several police cars, hundreds of bikers, and many, many, many civilians. Other than the drive on 410, everything was so beautiful and amazing.

[wellguy]

You all have some great stories and experiences.

Thanks

[spursfan]

IMO pulling over on a highway seems a little ridiculous to me (and could be dangerous). Although I remember when my grandfather died in Artesia, NM, a train actually stopped completely so we could get by. I say on surface streets, make an effort to at least get out of the way or pull over. On the highway, just get out of the way but not stop. Again that is just my opinion.

[svg210]

I pray for the defunct soul, so it can find the light thru the journey, but I attempt to pass them (on the highway) carefully and slowly.

[wCat]

well..once again SA fails in something. Having lived in several large cities, I have to say that the more congested the traffic, the more chances are that a funeral procession will be interrupted. Most smaller cities and towns have much less traffic.....as well as the community connected feeling of losing a resident.

I've seen both occur in SA and other big cities. It all depends on the where the service is and how far to travel through the city blocks to a graveside service. The police may or may not be escorting. This is not a service that is just provided for free. If the procession is long, there may not be enough police escorts to manage the major intersections. If the police are not present, some people in the procession take caution at stop signs and stop lights which breaks the flow of the caravan. People turning corners to find they are in the middle of a funeral procession are sometimes caught off guard. I don't think it's truly a matter of people just not caring. There is a lot of planning and coordination that is required to keep a procession together.

As far as the headlights go.....so many car models now have headlights that come one and stay on when the ignition is turned on. It's hard to know who is in a procession and who isn't by the old standard of turning on headlights when part of the group.

Just to put things in perspective, have you thought about how many funerals take place in this city in one given day? When a family member of ours passed away and was buried at Ft Sam, they told us they were holding 22 graveside funerals a DAY because of the number of WWII vets now passing away. That is a LOT of funeral processions just to one cemetery. It would be wonderful if everyone had the understanding or awareness to stop and pause for respect, but it just isn't realistic to expect it in a large city.

BTW - I'm really sorry for the loss of your aunt. I'm glad you had a peaceful journey to lay her to rest. God bless.

[WilGar]

Originally Posted by miche111e

Same here. I think a lot of us "old school" Texans know about this courtesy, but there are so many transplants here and I honestly don't know what manners (ahem...courtesies) are taught in other states.

You are totally correct. I live very close to the Ft Sam Houston and witness many processions. I always pull over and pay my respects both out of courtesy and to honor their service. Yes, I am an "Old School" Texan.

Last month a short process was coming east down Hildebrand. I saw them coming as did the cars in front who were also pulling over. Behind me I say a panel truck approach at a high speed. He whipped around me honking and glowering at me. The motor cycle officer pointed his finger at him to admonish him but the truck sped away. It was a Geek Squad truck. I got his truck number and called to report him. I will let you know when they get back. I suspect a long wait.

[stoneoak]

Having been a Catholic school girl raised in the Northeast, I was taught proper etiquette in regards to funeral processions. Of course, don't I wind up interrupting one of the few funerals I've actually seen down here ?!? Entered 410 one day and bam, found myself caught in the middle of the procession. Tried to untangle myself as quickly as possible, but it was so unorganized. Motorcycle cops were speeding up, then falling back behind...some cars had lights on, others didn't. There were huge gaps in the line. It was a mess...but I still felt soooo quilty. (Being catholic and all )

[cjw]

My Grandmother passed away in Antlers, OK and the burial was in Hugo, OK. We witnessed the same thing. Every single car pulled over, even on the highway. They didn't just slow down, they pulled over. This included business/delivery trucks. I was quite impressed with the respect shown by these strangers.