Driving and Tuk Tuks

I’ve changed my mind…driving in Japan is a piece of cake and the drivers are courteous and polite and predictable. Drivers here in Thailand are crazy. Not only that, the vehicles are crazy…they drive anything they can connect a motor to and move. The greatest majority of vehicles are motorcycles. Now, they might have a side car for people, or they might have a side care where they prepare food or sell drinks. They also have motorcycles with a side car attached in front…a small kind of tuk tuk. The guy sits in the back, on the bike, and holds onto the cart in front.... like a handlebar and steers the thing by moving it back and forth. The people all climb in and sit on the sides...and in front sometimes, and the guy proceeds to see how quickly he can move down the street with the wind or the rain blasting at you. They go all over the place and every time they want to pass, change lanes, say hi to someone or they're just bored, they honk the horn - and it's not quiet.
They also have tuk tuks that are big like buses. These are old, very old trucks in the front with a covered flatbed that they've added benches to down the sides along with one bench running down the middle. They also go along, honking the horn, probably for a mixture of the same reasons. Anyone who wants a ride just raises their hand a bit and the guy stops. He does stop completely...it's a CLIMB into the back. People were continuously hopping on and off. He's also the delivery guy. One trip we took newspapers, cans of unidentified stuff, fruits, vegetables as well as one fish - very much alive- that got away from the pot and flopped about on the floor. THAT one caused some flurry in the back.