Should Funeral Processions Be Banned?

Once again I spent a frustrating morning stuck behind the longest funeral procession in history. Why the fuck do they go so slow? Is there some law that states the dead can only drive at 10mph?

After 15 minutes of this crap we got onto a long straight road and I put my foot down and went past about 15 cars...everyone of them looked at me like I'd just opened the coffin and taken a dump inside.

The world has gone mad. When I go I want to be driven to the cemetary in a Ferrari going 150mph.

Funeral procession should definitely not go fast....

Its there for people to remember the person that is going past them - if you saw Coronation Street on friday evening with Betty Turpin's funeral.



My grandad died 12 years ago and there was a slow procession through Walkden even past the place where he worked and people did align the streets to give remembrance and thanks. And the same happened 5 years ago with my grandmother.



Its a mark of respect for the dead, and way of thanks and remembrance. I hope you took your hate off, as you drove pass the hearse!!!

bwfc71 wrote:Funeral procession should definitely not go fast....

Its there for people to remember the person that is going past them - if you saw Coronation Street on friday evening with Betty Turpin's funeral.

My grandad died 12 years ago and there was a slow procession through Walkden even past the place where he worked and people did align the streets to give remembrance and thanks. And the same happened 5 years ago with my grandmother.

Its a mark of respect for the dead, and way of thanks and remembrance. I hope you took your hate off, as you drove pass the hearse!!!

If it was 1912 I could understand it as everyone knew everyone. But it's 2012 and people don't even know their next door neighbours anymore, so why would they care about some dead bloke/woman as they drive past at 10mph.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

bwfc71 wrote:Funeral procession should definitely not go fast....

Its there for people to remember the person that is going past them - if you saw Coronation Street on friday evening with Betty Turpin's funeral.

My grandad died 12 years ago and there was a slow procession through Walkden even past the place where he worked and people did align the streets to give remembrance and thanks. And the same happened 5 years ago with my grandmother.

Its a mark of respect for the dead, and way of thanks and remembrance. I hope you took your hate off, as you drove pass the hearse!!!

If it was 1912 I could understand it as everyone knew everyone. But it's 2012 and people don't even know their next door neighbours anymore, so why would they care about some dead bloke/woman as they drive past at 10mph.

Not quite true, to be fair. If anything it all depends on the area people live in. Walkden, to be fair is a close community where people do know people. Even on many new housing estates there are associations etc etc springing up to bring the community together. It have have been the case in the 80's and 90' of not knowing your neighbour, but I do believe the community spirit is coming back. Where I live I know most of my neighbours in my apartment block, and its hard to go around Amsterdam without knowing someone - a real community feel.

I think that those people who have the foresight to pre-plan their own funeral arrangements should go however the hell they want to go, but sadly few funeral directors seem to have many options beyond the hearse in 3rd gear. I like the idea of the ferrari car chase with all the rellies putting the pedal to the floor trying to keep up - perhaps inspiration for your next oevre Natasha? - a thread inviting people to design their own funeral - venue/choice of music/activities etc.?

It's annoying I'll give you that - why driving so slow is respecting the dead I don't know.

Perhaps they should just do away with funerals all together then.

I mean, if people have an issue with having to wait in traffic while people pay their respects to the dead, if respect for the dead is so unimportant, we should just incinerate everyone, right?

largehat wrote:Perhaps they should just do away with funerals all together then.

I mean, if people have an issue with having to wait in traffic while people pay their respects to the dead, if respect for the dead is so unimportant, we should just incinerate everyone, right?

But who's paying their respects?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

But who's paying their respects?

Sometimes people on the streets pay their respects, which is why the procession goes slowly.

Sometimes the funeral cortège is in transit between a church and a burial site.

It's polite and respectful to drive slowly in a funeral procession in recognition of the sobriety of the occasion.

If this makes you late for a meeting once in a blue moon, that's really unfortunate, but of minor importance in the grand scheme of things as far as I can see.

Natasha, I have just amended my will to specify that my funeral procession must drive at no more than 10mph and must drive all round Preston for at least 6 hours, even though it's 50 miles from where I'll be buried

It doesn't annoy me one bit, in fact i don't think i've ever been stuck behind one.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:It doesn't annoy me one bit, in fact i don't think i've ever been stuck behind one.

I thought you didn't drive?

No, i do drive, must have me confused with someone else.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:No, i do drive, must have me confused with someone else.

I did wonder how you got from Edinburgh to Aberdeen every day.

Very good.

Funerals should be banned and bodies recycled into something useful, not sure what though,maybe fuel pellets or building materials or processed as food for something? saw a docco on tv years ago in some country where they live in huts and eat grubs and shit.They dont dispose of bodies of relatives they just leave em lying around to rot away,some even dress them for dinner and prop them up at table as if they are still alive.

Science fiction book Soylent Green had the perfect answer for some on here. There were so many people that euthanasia was standard, and when the people were done away with, they were processed as food.

When my Grandad Died and we were heading from his house to Overdale we got the the top of Moorside Avenue and the Hearse got hit by a Ford Fiesta coming round the corner on Chorley Old Rd. It wasn't you driving was it Natasha ? Not much damage to the Hearse or the Fiesta fortunately, but in a way, it kind of took away a bit of the stress I was feeling at that time.

Dunkels King wrote:When my Grandad Died and we were heading from his house to Overdale we got the the top of Moorside Avenue and the Hearse got hit by a Ford Fiesta coming round the corner on Chorley Old Rd. It wasn't you driving was it Natasha ?

I'm insulted you think I've even been in a Ford Fiesta.

I think the processions should go no slower than 20mph, and be led by an ice cream van playing 'Greensleeves'.