I wasn't in a rickshaw, I was in a "real" car as it transitioned into city traffic in Bangalore. I don't think any of the potential collisions (we had a couple close encounters) would have resulted in serious injury, but it wouldn't have been the highlight of my day. I was being driven around by my accountant, and just as you described, he was calming discussing business options the whole time he was driving. Personally I would have preferred he just focused on getting us safely to our destination...