Do you know what to do if you come upon a funeral procession while traveling on Texas roadways? Personal injury lawyers find that many drivers do not know how to handle this situation, which is evidenced in the increasing frequency of accidents involving funeral processions. As ironic as this may seem, injury claim attorneys see accident cases each year that are due to uninformed drivers cutting across the line of cars following a hearse.
To ensure your safety and avoid mistakes that could endanger everyone on the road, Texas personal injury claims attorneys emphasize that you should know the law regarding vehicles traveling to a cemetery for burial after a funeral.
The Hazard of Funeral Processions
Although funeral processions are a common occurrence nationwide, many drivers do not know what to do in these circumstances. To make matters worse, personal injury lawyers familiar with injury accidents that occur during a procession explain that each state has their own laws regarding funeral processions and what is expected of the public.
Drivers who are distracted by traffic, music, cell phones, or other things may not even realize they have come upon a procession. Injury claim attorneys find that as a result, people are injured when hit by a car following a hearse. These attorneys also call attention to the fact that intersections can be especially dangerous since this is where most of these accidents occur.
What To Do When Encountering A Funeral Procession
Even though driving to a cemetery immediately following a funeral can be a road hazard, other motorists have the legal responsibility to yield to these drivers. Personal injury lawyers explain that in Texas like most other states, processions have the right of way even traveling through an intersection.
While the lead car must abide by traffic signals and signs, the cars that follow may pass through the intersection even if there is a stop sign or the light changes to red during the procession. This is why injury claim attorneys stress the importance of paying close attention to what is going on in these instances.
Vehicles in a procession will normally have their headlights and flashers on and the lead and last cars are marked and often accompanied by an escorting police officer. Be courteous, safe, and yield as indicated below so won't need to hire personal injury claims attorneys after you are injured:
- When driving in the same direction, avoid passing a procession on the right. Pass on the left if it is vitally important.
- When you come to an intersection where there is a procession, stay at the traffic light and wait for the entire procession to pass. After the last car or accompanying police escort has passed through, check the current status of the traffic signal and follow it as indicated.
- Never "tag" onto the end of a funeral procession to follow it through an intersection.
- Avoid getting in between cars in a procession and disrupting the line.
The best advice that Texas personal injury lawyers can offer for preventing accidents when encountering a funeral procession is to always assume these motorists have the right of way. Besides keeping yourself safe, injury claim attorneys stress that you can also avoid being ticketed for failure to yield to the procession. Always drive defensively to avoid unintentionally cutting into a funeral procession and causing an accident. If you are involving in such an accident that caused injuries, be sure to contact experienced personal injury claims attorneys for help!
Hildebrand & Wilson, Attorneys at Law
7930 Broadway, Suite 122
Pearland TX 77581
