The Driven to Kill by Geoffrey Sant on China and Taiwan's Broken Justice System

Driven To Kill Hit-to-kill murders are unfortunately common in China and Taiwan. In “Driven To Kill” by Geoffrey Sant, he describes why citizens would rather kill a pedestrian than leave the victim alive. The broken justice system in China can lead to citizens taking justice into their own hands, whether they are a witness or the driver. In China and Taiwan, the way the law works causes hit to-kill murders to be common. One of the main reasons this is allowed to happen is the economical benefits of killing, rather than just disabling someone with your car.

When you hit someone and they survive, you are indebted to them for as long as they live. Paying lifetime care for a disabled survivor can cost up to millions, while the compensation for killing someone “…amounts typically range from $30,000-$50,000…once payments are made, the matter is over”.

Since these laws are in act, citizens of China are more likely to hit to kill instead of minorly injure, because they simply can’t afford it.

Another reason this keeps occurring is because of the court these cases are tried in. In almost every case read, the drive has claimed that they were under the impression they hit an inanimate object. In one case, driver Zhao Xiao Cheng ran over a grandmother, reversed, and grinded her into the pavement. He claimed that he “…thought he was driving over a trash can”. In another case, a driver ran over a child and “…claimed to have confused the boy with a cardboard box or trash bag” (Sant Paragraph 8).

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These situations also occur because of bribery of officials or the families of the victims. In one case, after an unlicensed driver ran over a two year-old girl, the driver reportedly said “Don’t say that I was driving the car…Say it was my husband. We can give you money.” (Sant Paragraph 1). Although it is the family’s decision to accept the money or go to court, it is still wrong of a driver to think they should get away blatant murder of a child. It is also stated that “…drivers seem confident that they can either bribe local officials or hire a lawyer to evade murder charges”.

China and Taiwan’s laws lead to lethal car accidents becoming common. This is due to the high medical fees that drivers whose collision victims survive the crash. The corrupt justice system in China and Taiwan also causes drivers to get away with their crimes, from both bribery and lying in court. In China and Taiwan, the way the laws are punished allows hit-to-kill collisions to be commonplace.