Why do they call it a....

United States
May 28, 2007 3:07pm CST
Chinese fire drill? , you know when you stop at a red light and everyone gets out of the car and runs around it and jumps back in before the light changes back to green? Sorry everyone, it was just a random thought from my head today. Can anyone tell me the reason why they call it that? Have you ever participated in one?
2 responses
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
29 May 07
I've seen it done once. I was behind them when they did it. I don't think the same person got behind the wheel! On the other hand, I once stopped at a red light, jumped out, got something out of the trunk & jumped back in just as the light changed, even my passanger was wondering if I was doing a Chinese fire drill and hadn't told her!
• United States
29 May 07
LOL! If I was your passenger I probably would have just jumped out thinking that is what ou were doing. We did it all the time as teenagers but I also lived in a small town and there wasn't much to do in the way of excitement.
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
29 May 07
I think she may have popped her door open before she realized I was getting something out of the trunk.
@oldiebut (859)
• Canada
28 May 07
Yes I can remember doing it in my teens during the 1970s and have seen references back to the 1950s. I am amazed they still do something so silly. I imagine it has some foolish underlying racist theme but teenagers, we did dumb things, they do dumb things.