"Why drivers in China intentionally kill the pedestrians they hit"

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2015/09/why_drivers_in_china_intentionally_kill_the_pedestrians_they_hit_china_s.html

“After one near-miss of a motorcyclist, he said, “If I hit someone, I’ll hit him again and make sure he’s dead.” Enjoying my shock, he explained that in Taiwan, if you cripple a man, you pay for the injured person’s care for a lifetime. But if you kill the person, you “only have to pay once, like a burial fee.”

Ah those lovable murderers.

Is slate a satire website?

They are more of a tabloid/entertainment magazine. However, when I read this article, I had no doubt that this is true.

this is true. I am going to China next week with my kid. this makes me sick.

This definitely happens and the law encourages it. It is easy for people to feel outraged, however look at it this way, when the cost of taking care of a disabled person can potentially bankruptcy your family, it becomes a much difficult decision than people realize.

Is liability insurance not required in China? The cost reality is the same in the West, we are just required to have insurance to prevent this sort of behaviour. It seems like there is a really easy solution to this problem: require liability insurance.

The weirdest thing to me is that I wonder if the victims’ families (or the victims themselves) actually prefer it this way. Because even if they get a large sum of money for personal expenses, it will still be expensive and difficult to take care of that disabled uncle or whoever. Maybe it’s better to just accept less money up front, but not be burdened by this responsibility.

Truck drivers in North America are told the same thing. Whether they will reverse and run over you again, is a different matter.