In The Great Gatsby, Daisy does not intentionally try to kill Myrtle Wilson; she accidentally runs her over when Myrtle dashes into the street. In chapter 7, Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan decide to drive into the city. Before they depart, Tom insists on driving Gatsby's yellow Rolls-Royce while Gatsby takes Daisy in his car. On their way into the city, Tom stops for gas at Wilson's shop, and Myrtle Wilson sees him out of her apartment window. Myrtle, Tom's mistress, notices that Tom is driving a yellow car.

Later that day, tensions rise as Tom and Gatsby get into a heated argument at the Plaza Hotel. After Tom exposes Gatsby as a bootlegger, he is confident that Daisy will never leave him and directs her to drive home with Gatsby. Following the argument, Gatsby allows Daisy to drive his yellow Rolls-Royce to help calm her down. As they drive by Wilson's shop, Myrtle suddenly jumps out into the road. Under the impression that Tom will still be behind the wheel of Gatsby's car, Myrtle runs into the road as a last-ditch effort to get Tom’s attention and escape her marriage.

As Gatsby later describes, when Myrtle dashes into the road, Daisy has no time to react and hits her. After killing Myrtle, Daisy callously continues driving and later allows Gatsby to take the blame for the accident, which eventually leads to his death.