Lubbock Police wants to remind drivers to take it slow when they see a funeral escort, especially because it can be dangerous for everyone involved.
“All the motorcycle officers here in Lubbock, consider it an honor to do funeral escorts for the families on their day of grieving,” said Officer Shawn Knobloch. He said people in Lubbock typically follow the rules, but they get their fair share of law breakers.
“They’re not just trying to pull out in front of us. It’s that they don’t necessarily see us. They have to be aware of their surroundings. When they do pull up to an intersection,” said Knobloch.
In 2001, Lubbock Police Officer Rodney Kendricks was killed escorting a funeral. He was trying to move ahead of cars to block traffic when his motorcycle collided with a pick up.
The law states, when you see a funeral escort, you have to pull over to the right side of the road.
“We are moving a little bit faster than the speed limits when we are doing escorts,” said Knobloch, “If we go near Texas Tech, there are younger drivers that come here that maybe come from a different community that maybe didn’t do funeral escorts, so they’re unaware of what we’re doing.”
They train as hard as possible to keep everyone safe. If you disobey the law, you can get a ticket for interfering with a funeral procession or disregarding a police officer.