So as a lot of you out there know of me, I'm a southern girl at heart.  Born in Florida, I lived there until I was 29.  Most recently, I've been living in beautiful New Hampshire for the past six years and  I've come to see some real differences in people's behavior.  Although I've really come to love the Northeast,  I've noticed a practice of which I actually find rather offensive.  The other day, I faced an on coming funeral procession, complete with a police escort.  Well, it wasn't a real busy highway, and it seemed safe, so I turned on my right blinker and pulled off the road.  To my disbelief, I was passed by every car behind me. They just blew by!   I didn't even see any brake lights as if people were slowing...nothing.  I know I'm not in the "Bible Belt" anymore, but I am still confused and actually a little bit hurt about what I saw.  Have our lives become so busy with our problems that we've lost random compassion and respect to those that have died?
So this brings me to my question of which I'm curious, given proper traffic/road conditions, do you pull over?  If not, why?

I always pull over for a funeral...always..as a sign of respect..and here in the south..a lot of times if you don't the officer in the front of the procession will take down your licence number..i have seen them do it...no one should be in that big of a hurry...really, if it were one of your family members, you would want people to be respectful....the door swings both ways.....

It is a Southern Thing....you ALWAYS pull over for a funeral possession. but I have been told by ALOT of people that Georgia is really the only state that does this. So, if you aren't in GA...then don't expect it to happen, even though that is how we are raised. I have always been brought up to stop whatever you are doing...even working in the yard and stand with your head bowed as respect. Even our DOT does that here.

I do remember in Florida that we did pull over, but as you say it must be a Southern thing. I know in other places I have lived (NY, NJ & CA) as well as places I visit, people do not typically pull over for funerals. They do stop to let the procession go unbroken thru intersections though.

The only thing I do is hold a button. I'm not sure what the story is behind holding a button, but when growing up any time a funeral would pass my mom would tell me to hold a button.

We pull over in Texas, and I will never forget when my Grandpa died the route had to pass by a golf course, and I can remember looking out the window of the family car, and seeing a golfer stop playing take his hat off, and put it over his heart until the family car passed. Strange the things you remember as little kids.

I noticed in most of my travels and being in many a few states that is is from Texas to North Carolina that do it the rest don't even bother. Being from the north and trained to drive there I never saw it, but when I lived in Alabama it was a common pratice to see and do it. I just did here in Georgia just two days ago for a Church member layed to rest. I did see it in Panama, but not sure about other countrys tho. I find it to be a common place to do it like when a bus picks-up or unloads kids to stop. But that is also from a former school bus driver.

Being a traffic cop South Carolina and a former traffic cop from Georgia i can tell u there is no legal rquirement to pull over it is respectfull but i think it is more dangerous than respectfull we all know how preoccupied most drivers are then to slow down and pull over and stop when there is no traffic control device is a collision waiting to happen i have seen people stop on a interstate and not even pull off the roadway moves like that can cause another funeral

Seems to me that it is all in where/how you were brought up. Don't know the regs, but as a sign of respect I was taught that as long as it could be done safely, you pulled over IF on local streets. I would not consider it on a 4+ laner tho. In that case I have to opt out....wouldn't want a procession of my own.

That is one of the first thinks I remember after moving to Arkansas.......... Something that I have carried over since moving back to California. I HAVE noticed more and more people pulling over when I am doing Patriot Guard Missions. Wonder if it's the sea of flags that catch their attention ???

Well, we are not Southern--really we are the bastard stepchildren of the Country as we are the Northern Mountain States--but we pull over. Albeit we don't have but very few roads that are more than four lanes in the entire 5 state area, but if it is 4 lanes or less--we pull over.

Even on us 59 put of Texarkana (4 lanes) we stayed behind the procession (for nearly 30 miles). Oncoming traffic pulled over or at least slowed. Oh, I was in my semi at the head of the pack behind and almost next to the trail car for the procession, nobody passed me until the procession turned off.

When riding pull over & tuck helmet under arm - Trying to make a point, not sure what it is.

Driving? Do what everybody else is doing

I've lived in Florida twice in the last twenty years, most recently for over ten years, and I haven't once seen people on the opposite side of the road, pull over. That being said, I've never seen one strictly on a two lane thoroughfare. Only on 4-6 tops, or divided highways. I've seen people pull over for large motorcycle processions, though. Something tells me that that, was more out of curiosity than anything. I come from Ohio, and in my much younger days, people did pull over to let a procession pass. Some even turned on their headlights in acknowledgement.
But somewhere along the way, the courtesy just disappeared. Maybe that is telling, on how we've become so absorbed in our own lives, we cannot even show respect to a life extinguished. Bummer.

Ride Free
Tweek

To me, it's a judgment call. I pull over unless it seems unsafe to do it. I usually wouldn't pull over on a divided multi-lane highway because nobody else will (and honestly, I wouldn't expect them to). But on a rural road or city street, I always pull over, as do the other folks I am sharing the road with.

I don't necessarily think pulling over is a southern thing. If anything, I suspect it's a rural/city thing - folks out in the country seem more willing to take a few moments to let a funeral procession go by, where people in the city are always moving.

Nightdragon, I saw the same thing in FL from an elderly gentleman in the car in front of me.  He got out, took his hat off, and put it over his heart. 

I really appreciate everone's insighful comments on this.  Given it's not the practice up here, I haven't decided what to do if faced with this again.  Like Percy said, if it's not common to do this in the area, I don't want a funeral of my own; maybe I could just say a little prayer to myself...
Anyway, if you've got the next couple of days off, enjoy, eat lots of turkey, and be safe!

The last time I pulled over and removed my helmet, a woman in the procession waved and mouthed, "Thank you". As NightDragon says, it's the way we do, here.

One should always pull over and remove whatever cover they might be wearing on their head. It's the respectful thing to do and it's the right thing to do. Remember we are all judge by what we do while we are here on this earth. God knows and will remember when that day comes.

I grew up in NC and that's just what we did, it was the way I was raised. Up here in NJ it's hard enough to get folks to get out of the way of ambulances, fire trucks and law enforcement responding to an emergency, much less a funeral procession, but I always try to stay true to my upbringing....besides, it only takes a moment to show respect, that's not asking too much.

Yes, I do pull over and uncover the helmet and head gear. I agree it is a form of respect for the family and to the individual who has passed away. That form of respect is one of the reasons why I moved to the "Bible belt" in Alabama. I wanted to have my children see that what I consider, every day respect, lived out. I would like to say to all who give this respect to a funeral procession as they pass by, Bravo, Thank You and never stop!