Absolutely spot on. I have been visiting the USA regularly for the past ten years and the most marked difference from the UK is the absolute dependence on cars. Minimal public transport, few sidewalks in suburbia. Scattered out of town shopping malls.A car is an absolute necessity .

I live in a small village in rural Scotland and although I have a car I make frequent use of the excellent public transport system both for local journeys and long distance. (buses are free) and.
I can safely cycle to the local shop and pub a mile away

..... or could it simply be that better off people live in better off towns that can afford to create extensive transit systems, so citizens can avoid rush hour traffic jams and parking problems. Also, they can afford the more expensive suburbs that allow them to live closer to their place of work, or even spend a lot of time working from home on a network. Obviously, an academic achievement will also link to such people.