The generations-old tradition of stopping traffic as funeral processions pass by may be a danger to motorists as small towns grow and traffic gets heavy, authorities said.
Fort Oglethorpe Police Chief David Eubanks said after a two-car accident sent three women to the hospital Tuesday, he plans to meet with his department and the City Council about whether the city should have a funeral procession policy.
Thomas Holcomb, a Fort Oglethorpe resident, was turning onto Battlefield Parkway from Van Cleve Street and had the traffic signal in his favor.
Mr. Holcomb didn’t see the cars in the funeral procession, which had become stretched out, Chief Eubanks said.
As Mr. Holcomb passed through the intersection on a green light, he struck one of the funeral procession vehicles. The accident sent the driver of the other vehicle, Donna Davis, to Erlanger hospital where she remained in critical condition Friday afternoon. Mrs. Davis’ passengers, Julie Veal and Mary Jones, also were transported but were not listed at Erlanger as of Thursday, hospital officials said.
Chief Eubanks said as his city has grown, the respect shown by the tradition of pulling a car over to a stop as funerals pass can be dangerous. New residents unfamiliar with the custom, heavier traffic loads on city and county streets and busy police schedules can all contribute to potential problems for processions.
“The amount of traffic out there (Battlefield Parkway) is ungodly,” Chief Eubanks said.
Traffic gets so congested at times, he said he sometimes instructs his officers not to use sirens on busy streets unless the call is of a life-threatening nature.
When the siren sounds, he said some drivers will stop in the traffic lane, and some will pull off on either side of the street. Their responses potentially cause more traffic problems than if the officer just drives along with the traffic, the chief said.
He said the police department usually assigns two officers to a funeral procession, and the cars will “leapfrog” from intersection to intersection to control traffic.
On Tuesday, only one officer was available and, Chief Eubanks said, the department actually could have used the one officer assigned to the funeral on other police duties.
Chief Eubanks said Thursday he was to meet with his officers, and then planned to speak with the Fort Oglethorpe City Council about the matter at the next council meeting.
Hamilton County, Tenn., Sheriff’s Office provides funeral escorts on request, usually for large attendance funerals, said Janice Atkinson, department spokeswoman.
Ms. Atkinson said according to state law, if sheriff’s office personnel escort a funeral, officers would block intersections. It is up to the sheriff to make the decision whether or not to provide an escort for funerals, she said.
Whitfield County, Ga., Sheriff Scott Chitwood said his department provides the escort at no charge when personnel are available.
“It does become more risky with higher traffic,” Sheriff Chitwood said.
Todd South covers courts and the military for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper for three years and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact Todd ...
Without police escort, a funeral procession is even more dangerous. A funeral director told me these accidents usually occur when a driver fails to keep up with the car ahead and the procession becomes broken. The trailing drivers don't pay attention and they just bust on through red lights, thinking they have the right-of-way. Technically they may, but they can be just as dead as if they didn't have the right to go through the light.
The only way to alleviate the traffic hazard is to prohibit funeral processions entirely, or perhaps limit them to just a couple of cars following the hearse. Funeral homes could just dismiss the people at the church or funeral home and instruct them to meet at an appointed time at the cemetery. Maps could be distributed to those who don't know the way to the cemetery.
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