Are you required to yield for funeral processions in Kentucky? What state law says
State law varies across the nation as to if and when drivers are required to yield to funeral processions. In Kentucky, funeral processions have the right-of-way at intersections.
Kentucky law defines a funeral procession as two or more vehicles accompanying the body of a deceased person, when each vehicle has its headlights on or has a clearly visible pennant.
Vehicles in funeral processions have the right-of-way at an intersection and may proceed through an intersection if the procession is led by an escort vehicle with flashing red, yellow or blue lights unless:
An emergency vehicle needs the right-of-way
Vehicles in the procession are directed otherwise by a police or safety officer
The vehicle is a train or locomotive
“Before assuming the right-of-way, a person who drives a vehicle in a funeral procession shall exercise due caution with regard to crossing traffic,” the Kentucky statute reads.
Drivers who are not part of a funeral procession are not allowed to use headlights or any other type of signal for the purpose of securing the right-of-way given to funeral processions.
When a funeral procession is underway, a driver who’s not part of the procession cannot pass any vehicle in the procession unless:
The person is directed to do so by a police or safety officer
The procession is taking place on a road, street or highway outside the corporate limits of a town, city or urban county
The procession is on an interstate highway or state parkway
Failure to follow the regulation may result in a Class B misdemeanor in Kentucky, which can carry a jail sentence of up to 90 days and/or a fine of up to $250.
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