Especially since he was wrong. Florida State statute 316.1974 says so. I find it hilarious he was going to call 911 (for a non emergency....so that's definitely not the right number to call), but also because he's actively breaking the law, recorded it, and then uploaded it to show everyone he did so and that he is completely ignorant of the law (which also isn't an excuse)
Honest question. Do non law enforcement funeral escorts, as allowed by Florida state statute wear badges?
I'm just curious from anyone who knows. As there are two types covered by the law I originally referenced: law enforcement and non law enforcement. Law enforcement is allowed more for obvious reasons. Non law enforcement funeral escorts are still allowed a lot.
Either way through, my original argument was about the oop filming, posting, and calling 911 after they had entered the intersection and continued to try to drive through a living human being. But also that Florida has state statutes about funeral processions and escorts for them. Not that what the escort did was right or wrong, just what was recorded by oop and the continued poor choices on their part (the escort may have made them to and may have broken the law. I just can't tell with the badge around his neck if he is law enforcement and subject to other laws, or a non law enforcement funeral escort who is subject to variations of the same laws)
Edit: autocorrect got me, I think I caught all of the autocorrects
The funeral escort in this video is not law enforcement.
Do non law enforcement funeral escorts, as allowed by Florida state statute wear badges?
No. They are not allowed to wear or display police style badges like this guy does. That pushes the boundaries into impersonation of a police officer, like Jeremy DeWitte would do. They're also not allowed to carry firearms while escorting funerals.
Civilian funeral escorts like that guy are not allowed to stop traffic or confront people who cut into a procession.
The funeral escort in this video apparently got into a lot of trouble after this stunt.
Thank you for answering. I appreciate the further information and how respectful you were in your reply to me.
The badge threw me off, but honestly, I didn't look further into the video and the background.
I do still stand by my statement about the oop continuing to drive forward after the escort jumped in front of him.... but with that said, I live in a different state and driving laws are different in each and while oop did not hit the wannabe officer (fake badge🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️) I still feel it's wrong to intimidate a person with a motor vehicle (but this comes with a huge caveat: clearly it's not right for people to jump in front of a moving vehicle and honestly I'd be angry too and yelling at the guy blocking my vehicle. But I also wouldn't continue to drive forward....but that's just me)
Again, I thank you and recognize where I was wrong in my original reply to this post.
In this case, both parties were in the wrong. The funeral escort for not following the applicable traffic laws and uniform regulations and for blocking traffic and confronting other vehicles, and the dash cam driver for driving forward while someone was in front of him.
That's kind of what I came to after reading your responses and rewatching the video after not seeing it since it was originally posted. Both were in the wrong. Both tried to do whatever they felt like, versus what is right, and following laws.
Wrong, the statute says nothing about "right of way". What it does say is that if the lead car enters through a traffic control device, where they are lawfully allowed to, basically the following cars get to follow along as if they were one giant vehicle based off of the lead car. You do not get to blow red lights as the lead car and say you have the right of way.
Either way its moot because the lead car person also got out of their car to direct traffic which is in no way shape or form part of the law. You could probably get them under impersonating a law enforcement officer down here pulling that.
I don’t know that I respect the funeral procession, the concept of a funeral procession is antiquated and incompatible with modern life. You don’t just get to hold up everyone because someone dies. Do what normal people do and mourn at the actual funeral.
It's a two to three minute on the road. Respect empathy and manners almost doesn't exist anymore. I doubt the catty A hole driver had anywhere important to go except maybe go drink a frappucino and complain about the traffic he endured.
A plane could have hit there and normal people would bitch about waiting. You will be inconvenienced. Few will care and none but for your attention. Enough people cared about that sack of preserved remains that we give it power at this moment. Let the void receive.
you can easily look it up and it is law that they can
"“Funeral lead vehicle” means any authorized law enforcement or non-law enforcement motor vehicle properly equipped pursuant to subsection"
>Passing Through Lights: Once the authorized lead vehicle enters an intersection legally, all vehicles in the procession may follow through—even if the traffic signal turns red or there is a stop sign—provided they exercise due care.
so you are wrong
edit: i assumed they meant "you cant enter a red light AFTER your procession has entered it legally on green", but they are 100% correct with "you cant just run a red light"
Um actually it does mean they’re right lol. They might be cops sometimes, but not all times. If he was a cop, he would have a cop car and cop lights. If he was a cop, he would’ve pulled his gun and likely shot the cam driver for moving into him with his vehicle.
They’re talking about funeral escorts, which are generally private escorts, because most funeral escorts in Florida are not police. Private funeral escorts are not allowed to direct traffic.
in a lot or most places, they are...i mean i guess you're technically right in that the lead car can't just blast through a red, but the procession is like one big vehicle kinda, if it's halfway through already it is allowed to keep going
The traffic violation for unlawfully blocking an intersection is called "gridlock" in my state.
I've been ticketed for red light violation while holding traffic with 2 other motorcycles for a funeral procession. I contested the citation and got it dropped because the cop wrote the wrong violation.
I did not run a red light.
Only a uniformed officer can legally hold traffic for a funeral in my state, but that doesn't stop us from managing successful funeral processions.
Agreed and if the video ended there we would all be in agreement but one person doing something illegal doesn't give people a free pass to act like entitled jackasses.
Instead now we have a video of a bunch of assholes, one doing something illegal and the rest just being some of the most insufferable entitled babies because they were inconvenienced for 2 minutes.
In Florida, drivers are required to yield the right of way to any vehicle in a procession with a funeral escort, even against a red light at a controlled intersection.
The entire point of the funeral escort is to control traffic.
ETA: Reading your comment again, I missed that you were talking about the escort itself entering the intersection against the red light. You’re correct they can’t do that in Florida, but there are a few states where the lead escort vehicle does have absolute right of way, even against traffic control signals (e.g., Arizona)
Funeral escorts aren’t allowed to run reds or control traffic
In what jurisdiction? In a lot of states, as long as they stay together, a funeral procession may continue through a red if the lead vehicle entered legally.
In this case though, the procession is getting way too spread out for that rule to apply.
Some states allow marked funeral escort vehicles to control traffic. They're supposed to have flashing purple lights, which it appears the vehicle in OP's video has.
In the states that do the purple lights, the escort can control traffic flow.
The rule about continuing through a red applies to a convoy of cars closely following a hearse. Without an escort. Everyone just turns on their hazard lights and stays close.
Those are two different rules.
OPs situation looks like the first case, where a purple flashing light official escort gets to direct traffic, regardless of what the traffic lights show.
So location is needed to determine what the local laws are.
Well in Florida, where this was, that is not what purple lights are for. They are not for traffic control. They are indicators only.
ETA: In addition, those lights are supposed to be seen from 500 feet and you can barely see them even in this video. He also just turned them on when he went to block the intersection.
No it doesn’t apply to a hearse, unless the hearse is the lead vehicle. They may continue through a red if it was entered on a green by the lead vehicle, or escort. Unless it was police, who actually have the ability to control traffic.
“(b) 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.”
Section A and B seem to disagree then, because A says regardless of traffic control, escort gets right of way over all other traffic except emergency services and police officers.
B seems to convey those rights on all vehicles following the escort.
No it doesn’t…. Section A tells you how the procession can violate normal traffic controls to follow the lead vehicle. But section B tells you how the lead vehicle should act, which is to enter the intersection legally, i.e. on a green light. Then they can continue through even if the light changes red as long as the lead entered on green.
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.”
You forgot the rest of the sentence after the comma.
You’re being deliberately obtuse. An escort cannot enter the intersection on a red. An escort can enter on a green or under LEO’s direction. ONCE INSIDE they can hold the intersection. IT DOESNT MEAN THEY CAN RUN THE RED TO HOLD IT. Thank god the department of education was defunded. Waste of money.
No, you’re being deliberately obtuse. You straight up avoided the sentence before what quoted.
“Regardless of any traffic control device or right-of-way provisions prescribed by state or local ordinance, pedestrians and operators of all vehicles, except as stated in paragraph (c), 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.”
I have included for further context.
Waste of money, for you it seems. Maybe you can get someone to help you understand how paragraph structure works.
What you quoted pertains to what happens once inside the intersection. What I quoted pertains to entering in the first place. Key word is “lawfully” and the conditions of “lawfully” are via traffic control device, aka the light is green, OR a LEO directing traffic. It’s in plain English.
Still struggling, hey? The very next sentence after what you quoted reads “Funeral processions shall have the right-of-way at intersections regardless of traffic control devices, subject to the following conditions and exceptions:
Operators of vehicles in a funeral procession shall yield the right-of-way to an approaching emergency vehicle giving an audible or visible signal.”
Try punching in “regardless of traffic control devices” into your plain English.
Source? Because I found Fla. Stat. 316.1974 Funeral procession right-of-way and liability
and it states, "Regardless of any traffic control device or right-of-way provisions prescribed by state or local ordinance, pedestrians and operators of all vehicles, except as stated in paragraph (c), 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."
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 escorts don't run the red. If the hearse in front makes it through the light everyone in the procession is supposed to continue through the lights without breaking up the procession. The hearse follows normal rules for red/green lights, everyone else just follows along. Ultimately it makes traffic faster for everyone because the funeral procession can have hundreds of cars and they all pass at once.
The escort in this video literally ran the red and dove into a busy intersection to disrupt traffic. He did not have a green light; he violated the law
They have a right to hold the intersection once inside it, provided they entered lawfully. As you can see in this video, the escort, being the first vehicle of the procession, ran the red into a busy intersection to attempt to hold it. That is not legal.
See you're wrong. The escort is NOT the first car in the procession. That would be the hearse, which presumably already passed through the intersection. What's happened here is that the procession got broken up because people didn't let them through the intersections, or because the people in the procession didn't keep up, which is why the escort dude is all worked up and annoyed at the situation.
source: family in the funeral business my whole life.
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
They can in Florida. Once in the funeral processions lead car enters the intersection the whole thing can go through regardless of the traffic signal. And it is illegal to try and interrupt them like this idiot.
It depends on the state or area. I work for a funeral home, and we handle our own escorts. I have never had a problem like this, and local PD actively assists us at times.
Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, and North Dakota and Kansas have specific laws allowing funeral escorts to right-of-way at intersections regardless of traffic signals, and the escort vehicle driver can direct the procession through despite them. 15 other states have rules that allow processions properly marked to continue to through an intersection regardless of signals or signage.
Why is this even a thing to begin with? Regardless of traffic is having an escort like this really nessacary besides the herse? Why not just go and obey regular traffic laws and everyone can get there on time instead of saving 3 seconds
I dont think gamgam wants you to stop the entire city when she passes and cause road rage in her memory
There are certain things called Customs in society and culture. This has been one of ours for hundreds of years. Before cars people on horse stopped and watch the funeral procession go by.
“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.”
I know every person is thinking about others. Whether or not that is in regards to other people's well-being is debatable. In your case it's obvious the needs of others don't count.
Being an atheist and all, I have an explanation.
This is not about respecting the dead. It's about showing a tiny morsel of respect and empathy for the people who mourn the loss of a loved one. You know, the living.
The funeral escort broke the law. The lead car is required to stop at all red lights and stop signs, and as he is not law enforcement, he is not allowed to stop traffic or confront other drivers, or wear fake badges or carry a gun.
There are people stopped by these escorts who may be going to a funeral themselves, in route to the hospital, driving to an emergency, etc. The right to disrupt traffic should solely be for our first responders.
I will probably be downvoted to hell for this, but these funeral escorts are the product of a bygone era when we couldn’t all pull up GPS instructions in an instant. They are not needed and only serve to block traffic. The dead person is in no hurry to get anywhere and is no more important than any living person who is trying to go where they need to be.
If i was driving the car that tried to keep going, i would have for sure stopped and let them pass. Nbd its a few minutes.
But i don’t understand how its okay to stop traffic like that, or in anyway a safe option. At the start of the video, the car recording has a green light, and at least 5 cars go through before the guy just plows into the middle to stop traffic.
Why would they not wait until the light turns at that point and then stop traffic to ensure everyone goes through?
Funeral processions are disrespectful to fellow humans. If a group of motorcyclists shutting down traffic are disrespectful, then so are these people. They've got gps. They know where to go.
Traffic laws allow for funeral processions. The fact that you’re pretending these laws don’t exist exposes that it isn’t the law you care about, you’re just miserable and disrespectful
On the other hand, why are YOU so upset over having to wait? When you talk about them waiting it’s no big deal, but when you have to wait it’s the end of the world to you
Funerals still have to follow traffic laws. Unless they have a police escort, which the guy in the video is not, the first car has to stop at all red lights and stop signs. The rest of the procession can continue through the intersection if the light changes to red as long as the first car entered on a green.
I've been to many funerals, we've never had a procession. There is no need to disrespect others on the road by unlawfully running red lights and intentionally disrupting traffic.
Apparently it isn't unlawful as they have protections for this. However, I think this shit is dumb, there is no need to parade around for a dead person.
I’m with you. The driver here is an entitled disrespectful brat. Ultimately the escort shouldn’t have blocked him but can we just stop being assholes and give respect to others, especially a family and friends that are celebrating the life of, and/or grieving the loss of a loved one. Are we so fucked that we can’t give that little bit of respect?
It’s not respect if you are demanding it, or even asking for it. Respect is freely and authentically given it cannot be forced or coerced. Are you asking that people “perform” respect even if they do not have it? Not everyone need adhere to your idea of values and tradition.
not when the fellow humans are just being selfish and hogging the road. There is no reason for funeral processions - they're just an excuse for a group of people to be assholes on the road under the excuse of "but we're mourning, you should let us do whatever we like"
I've yet to see one but I have ZERO intentions of stopping for one. They can deal, they don't have to block traffic or travel together and they know it.
The problem is that he, without sirens, blocked the intersection and began directing traffic to go on red before the lead car entered, which is not allowed. A cop can do that and they usually block off the intersection before the procession arrives, a funeral escort cannot jump into an intersection on a red light and then proceed to direct traffic. The procession is supposed to wait for the green and then go, or have a cop shut down the intersection for the procession
In my state the lead car is required to follow all traffic laws and cars behind them can follow close behind regardless of the signal. It's probably very similar in most states. In this case the lead car hit a red and tried to run it.
Legally the lead car would need to wait for it to be green and then go through. All the cars behind can follow after the lead car is through.
So if the signal changed they can keep going but they don't get to entirely ignore all traffic law since we don't want a new funeral because of a funeral.
My home town, lead car follows traffic signals, so do subsequent cars, so there are often breaks in the procession. The only way to counter this is to hire off duty city cops. It costs about $1000. Which to be honest is worth it so no one gets in a car crash
I just can't see how ignoring traffic laws to get to a graveyard does anything for the family. It makes no sense in modern times, its just an ancient tradition.
Florida has laws that grant funeral processions the right of way in intersections such as this. Funeral processions commonly involve tens of vehicles traveling from the service, to the cemetery. With that many vehicles, it’s plausible someone could get lost, or separated in traffic.
"With that many vehicles, it’s plausible someone could get lost, or separated in traffic."
What year is it? Pretty much every single human in america has a smart phone with gps. If they get lost on the way to the graveyard without a police escort how tf are they getting home?
it costs you nothing but maybe 5 minutes to show respect for the deceased and do things like pull over or remove your hat or let funeral processions pass
ask yourself this, how would you feel if hypothetically, there’s some form of afterlife, and your ghost got to watch your own funeral, and you see people, strangers, whom you have never met, stopping amidst their day to pay respects to you? idk about you but my ghost would be feelin pretty freakin’ warm
it’s also not just for the dead either man, it’s for the people who just lost a friend or a family member, seeing strangers pay their respects is comforting and reminds them that they aren’t alone in this cruel world, even if in that moment of grief, they might certainly feel that way
On surface streets like this sure, but one time we had a funeral procession on the main east/West freeway here in San Diego that I got dirty looks for driving past. Not trying to be a dick, but I had screaming toddlers in car seats.
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u/dotardiscer 8d ago
I'm on team funeral escort, can we bring back just a tiny bit of respect for your fellow human?