That is not actually true. In almost all of the US, as well as in most of europe (outside of large urban centers with good public transport) there is no viable alternative to cars.
The netherlands is one of the few places where avoiding cars is an actual option, elsewhere it requires heavy compromission, and imposes significant restrictions on various life choices. If giving up cars means giving up living or having to seriously compromise on your ability to achieve things, it’s as much a choice as “cake or death”.
I’ve lived without owning a car for 20-odd years (with the odd rental / borrowing), it’s only an option because I’m a very non-social person and don’t have children (so my need to move around day-to-day are extremely limited), and I’ve selected my living locations largely around the ability to not have a car, which would leave about 90% of the area unlivable if everybody made the same choices, because there simply is not enough car-free infrastructure for that to be anywhere near a universal option.