Impatient drivers 'overtaking funeral corteges'

Andy Hawkins said road users should be respectful of the families sitting inside the limousines

A funeral director has issued a plea to other drivers after experiencing a "lack of etiquette" during funeral corteges.

Andy Hawkins, one of the owners of Franklin and Hawkins Family Funeral Directors in Tile Hill, Coventry, said he had seen an increase in "impatient drivers" trying to overtake funeral processions.

He pleaded with other road users to be more considerate and think about the families of those who have died.

Mr Hawkins told the BBC: "I'd really like to see people just think 'that could be my family' and slow down."

Speaking about recent experiences, he said drivers who tried to overtake the cortege were sometimes unable to and pulled in front of the limousines, interrupting the procession.

He said: "It's happening at least two or three times a month. We've had people blasting their horns because they're in a rush to get past.

"Emergency vehicles always turn off their sirens and we've always moved out of the way. They can show respect, but the general public aren't."

Another incident in Coventry saw a driver trying to overtake the cortege, before noticing a car coming in the opposite direction.

Mr Hawkins said the driver had to swerve and ended up on someone's driveway.

He said: "Please, please if you see a funeral cortege, slow down and show some respect.

"We're driving slow, it's a final journey for somebody. It's a family that we've got in these limousines.

He said families in that position would be in an "awful state", and asked drivers to consider how they felt.

"At one time we would get people standing on the road taking their hats off and lowering their head as the cortege go past - believe me that still happens.

"But let's all think about each other instead of ourselves."