A motorcade is a procession of vehicles which travels as a group, typically carrying Very Important Persons (VIPs) and their support staffs. Since the people in a motorcade are often high profile individuals, the procession is typically accompanied with law enforcement support and other protections which are designed to keep the occupants of the motorcade safe. Examples of motorcades include inaugural processions, visits by heads of state to various regions, and funeral processions. In order for a motorcade to run smoothly, a great deal of coordination is involved.

The President of the United States famously uses motorcades to get around. A Presidential motorcade can include a large number of cars, because in addition to the President and his or her spouse, the motorcade may hold local politicians, photographers, and other guests of the President. The major members of the party typically travel in armored vehicles, and the motorcade is accompanied by law enforcement on motorcycles and in cars.

Details of the Presidential motorcade are deliberately withheld from the public out of concern for his or her safety. However, observers can clearly see that a Presidential motorcade typically includes several armored vehicles, an ambulance, a counterassault team, press vans, vehicles to carry the Secret Service, and various law enforcement vehicles. A hazardous materials team usually travels in front of a motorcade to look out for potential problems, along with an official who can divert the motorcade, if necessary. It is not uncommon to use dummy vehicles in a motorcade.

Depending on the type of motorcade, a road may be closed off to allow a motorcade to pass. This practice is common with heads of state, since the passing of the motorcade is considered a major event, and people may want to turn out to watch the procession pass. Travel for the motorcade is also safer when the motorcade uses a closed road; the cars can stick together more easily, and a lack of passing cars reduces the risk of disruptions to the motorcade.

In the case of a motorcade which travels on open roads, as often happens with a procession of cars traveling to a funeral, vehicles usually identify themselves with flags or window tags. If you have ever noticed a long line of cars with tags reading “funeral” in their windows, you have passed a motorcade. In cities where a visiting head of state plans to travel by motorcade, citizens may be informed that they can stand in specific locations to view the motorcade, although the precise route is usually not disclosed.