Are SC drivers required to yield for funeral processions? What state law says

It’s common courtesy to yield to funeral processions on the road. But is it the law in South Carolina?

There aren’t any laws on the books in South Carolina that require cars to yield to funeral processions. However, if the hearse is accompanied by a police escort with their lights or sirens on, motorists should yield like they would for any other emergency vehicle.

The South Carolina legislature has introduced bills that aimed to make failing to yield to a motorcade a misdemeanor, most recently in 2018, but they have not become law. Many states have passed similar laws.

While it’s not required in South Carolina, here are common customs that many drivers do when they encounter a funeral motorcade, according to Funeral Wise.

▪ Yield. The entire procession will follow through a stoplight or intersection once the lead car has passed.

▪ The last car in a funeral procession will typically have two or more flags on it and hazard lights flashing.

▪ Never cut into a funeral procession.

▪ Never honk your horn at a funeral procession.

▪ Don’t pass a funeral procession on the right side of a highway.