But... I'm allowed to walk, bike, or ride a motorcycle on American streets...

For driving around town to do stuff, I'd say they are fine and would love to have one. I doubt they would be able to safely drive on our freeways here though.

People already ride motorcycles so why not let them drive in much safer kei trucks?

> The kei truck does not offer the necessary crash protection

Eh, if you aren’t doing a lot of highway driving, I think this could be fine? Especially in a city where collisions should be low speed.

Put another way—and this is a genuine question—is the person who wants a Kei truck better off spending tens of thousands of dollars more for safety rather than investing that in their health, happiness or education?