RLC and funerals

I never saw that. It could be that the funeral director has overreached. Although you are in PA, New York law requires that license plates must be displayed at all times.

Also, there is no provision for funeral processions to proceed through a red light unless directed by a police officer. Source - New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.

dobs108

Yes, in PA they can go through the light as long as it was green when the lead car entered the intersection, I've never seen the covering of the plates before though. I've been in a few normally get some kind of magnetic flag to show you're part of the procession.

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§ 3107. Drivers in funeral processions.

(a) General rule.--The driver of a vehicle which is being driven in a funeral procession may:

(1) Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of this part.

(2) Proceed past a red signal indication or stop sign if the lead vehicle in the procession started through the intersection while the signal indicator was green or, in the case of a stop sign, the lead vehicle first came to a complete stop before proceeding through the intersection.

(b) Visual signals required.--The privileges granted by this section shall apply only if each vehicle in the funeral procession displays lighted head lamps and emergency flashers and bears a flag or other insignia designating it as part of a funeral procession.

(b.1) Visual signals authorized.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this title to the contrary, a funeral director or the director's representative may display flashing or revolving purple lights on any funeral processional vehicle which is being driven in a funeral procession.

(c) Right-of-way to emergency vehicles.--This section does not relieve the driver of a vehicle which is being driven in a funeral procession from yielding the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle making use of audible and visual signals, nor from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons.

They "leap frog" intersection and stop traffic

Here in Pennsylvania too.

been in 2 funerals lately, and neither had us cover our license plates, and both had us running red lights.

Here in PA, plenty of cars have unreadable plates (poly covers that render the plates unreadable), so I could see it being no big deal for cars to have no license plates. I've even seen ones made by software that look like they were printed at Staples. They can be recognized by the fact that the letters and numbers on the PA plate are squared. They are not. The heights are different on legit plates.

Anyone seen the YouTubes of the serial police impersonator in FLA? He has a co. that does escorts for funerals. He rides like 100+ mph on his motorcycle and curses at people and captures it all on his body and helmet cams. Judges keep letting him go.

Our beloved Governor tried to get a law passed that everyone has to get their plates replaced because a lot of them can't be read by the readers on the thruway. Somehow it didn't pass.
We also have escorts on motorcycles that lead the procession and let them safely go through red lights.

This very much depends on state law in the state you're in. In some states, traffic law says (or at least until recently said) that the lead car may not go against a red light, but if the lead car has entered the intersection on green, the entire procession has the right of way even against a traffic light that changes to red before the entire procession has passed through the intersection.

This was a state-by-state breakdown I found dating back to 2004; obviously this info may now be out-of-date in some states.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2004/rpt/2004-R-0303.htm

I understand the reasoning but still think giving funeral processions special right-of-way without police control of intersections is very dangerous, because other drivers don't understand the flags, headlights, and plate tags etc. used to denote funeral processions. We got enough distracted drivers as it is; we don't need more sources of confusion.

I was in a funeral procession decades ago that nearly resulted in a bad accident at a red light, and since then, I have just opted out of funeral processions and have taken the stance that I'll find my own way to the cemetery or wherever, thanks--that's what GPS is for!--and meet up with the funeral party when I get there.

There's still risk I might not recognize another funeral procession I'm not part of, so I wish all states did it like New York. You want a mobster-style funeral procession? Hire cops to control each intersection en route.