Real or Hoax: Let Jesus Take the Wheel Day

In 2013 a fake Facebook event entitled “Let Jesus Take the Wheel Day” went viral, in which drivers were said to go hands-free as a sign of faith.

It’s a hoax, created as a satirical experiment.

Let’s take a look at the event description:

On March 31, 2013, Christians all over the world will take to the streets in their automobiles. Relying only on the divine protection of Jesus Christ, they will prove that the Savior of Man will not abandon them when they remove their hands from the steering wheels of their cars for a total of 5 minutes. They will not be at a red light, or a stop sign, they will be on the highways. This is TRUE FAITH. Jesus Christ does not abandon his children, and with the current state of the world, it’s time to show Jesus that we have not abandoned him. Do not come to this page telling us that we are crazy and that we are going to die. Jesus is our Shepherd, and he will tend to his flock. Please join us and show that you are NOT AFRAID to place your life in the hands of Jesus Christ.

While there was an event page with over 8000 “attendees” there is also a Facebook page created in March 2012, on which the page admin describes this event as “an experiment, with a little satire, Poe’s Law, and some general smartassery tossed in.”

Throughout 2013, the “event” gained more attention than the creator expected, and both the event page and Facebook page became places of religious debate.

By May 2013, the Facebook page admin had taken a different tone, asking users not to take the event seriously:

Hey, don’t do this. It’s a joke. Don’t kill yourself. Please.

Comments ran the gamut from people saying they tried hands-free driving for a variety of lengths of time, to those who cite biblical passages in rebuttal.

Bottom Line

“Let Jesus Take the Wheel Day” was created as a joke, and not meant to be taken seriously. The joke, however, sparked religious debate, and prompted the admin to ask people not to drive hands-free.