There's people that live even closer that drive their kids to school. One of them lives literally 19 houses down the street from it.
I also have a rule where if I can go somewhere within 20 minutes on a bike, I'm taking my bike. Most places I go fall under this rule, and I live in what most would call a suburban hellscape.
My wife used to drive to work. Driving took longer than walking. But she still drove.
I think it's less about easy vs hard and more about the culture around driving in the US.