Funeral Procession Etiquette

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Today’s fast paced world is pushing many motorists to disregard public safety by neglecting the laws that uphold traditional etiquette.

Snouffer Funeral Home Owner and Director Josh Snouffer leads many funeral processions and has witnessed several near-miss accidents. Funeral processions generally follow a hearse and are required by law to make their vehicles plainly visible by attaching a funeral flag and operating their headlights.

“We always take into focus that the person that is in that hearse that we are transporting is somebody’s loved one. Whether it be their wife, their husband, their grandpa… So we ask that the traffic around them shows them the same respect and not get in and out of the procession or pull out in front of it and our goal is let that family have the best last ride possible,” Snouffer said.

The Ohio Revised Code has a section that defines funeral procession Right-of-Way privileges and the requirements for motorists who encounter the motorcade. Drivers found guilty of violating the funeral right-of-way can be charged with a misdemeanor and face an additional $500 dollar fine.   

“The other day we had a car in the opposite lane that didn’t stop for one that was already stopped and they rear-ended the car. We’ve had one on Maple Avenue that had just pulled out and hit the fifth or sixth car in the procession. After the first lit vehicle, the funeral flags, you know, it’s just simply not paying attention and they were cited by the highway patrol for failing to yield to a funeral procession,” Snouffer said.

More information about funeral procession safety can be found online or by talking to your local funeral home.