Funeral Cortege on Motorway

vikingaero

Hopefully fellow posters won't think that I'm in anyway being disrespectful to the recently departed.

I drove along the M2 today. Most of the M2 from the East to Gillingham is a two lane dual carriageway. There was a hearse leading about 10 other cars in lane 1. Traffic was very light but the mayhem caused was considerable. From a distance I witnessed 3 or 4 foreign HGVs coming up behind the cortege and only realising at the last moment that the cortege was travelling at 20mph on a motorway. One HGV locked up his rear trailer brakes and could have jack-knifed. Another one nearly collected some poor soul alongside him as he swerved out.

The points I want to make are:

(1) Is is legal for a cortege to travel on a motorway at such a low speed?

(2) Should the funeral director be more responsible and travel at at least 45mph?

epz_2

i think the minimum limit for cars on the motorway is something like 50, the police should have done them.

Reggie_Rebel

I'd rather have a cortege going slow in the inside lane than some idiot going slow in the outside lane

Tallymanjohn

No actual minimum speed limit, the law just bans 'slow-moving vehicles' from motorways so I guess they would fall foul of that, though I doubt whether you'd find many coppers willing to try & enforce it.

photome

IMO they should have neen travelling much faster as they were a danger to other road users at that speed

anewman

They could have taken an alternative route. When you're dead do you really want to take the motorway to your final resting place?

TimothyEBaldwin

The police should dealing with those HGV drivers., for dangerous driving. Rule 126 of the Highway Code states "Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear." which those drivers were not doing.

anewman

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

The police should dealing with those HGV drivers., for dangerous driving. Rule 126 of the Highway Code states "Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear." which those drivers were not doing.

When you're doing the limit, and advancing on a row of cars doing 20mph with a clear road ahead you'll be expecting them to be going a bit faster than 20mph and get close to them very very quickly.

Doozergirl

We have a A Road which links us to the next town; dual carriageway, 70mph speed limit so a bit like a motorway and I see them quite regularly. They always keep their speed up - slow, but not dangerously slow I'd say at least 40mph

Maybe it was out of the ordinary for them. Even if I were a funeral director, my personal priority would be staying alive!

Wig

If I were you I'd report it to the police tomorrow. Did you get a registration or a name of the funeral company cars? AT least then the police should investigate who it was and warn them not to be so flipping stupid again.

Conor_3

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

The police should dealing with those HGV drivers., for dangerous driving. Rule 126 of the Highway Code states "Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear." which those drivers were not doing.

And the funeral cortege were "driving without due consideration".

Under 50MPH on a motorway, without good reason and being a funeral courtege is not one, is a tuggable offence as I've stated.