So the big car companies are forcing me to buy their product? It does not feel that way. Seems more like it is people in their capacity as voters and consumers which are driving things this way.
Not 'forced' like at the tip of a gun, but the big car companies (and others) pushed to redesign cities (probably before you were born) to service the automobile. Neighbourhoods we razed to build roads, roads were widened, sidewalks shrunk or removed, public transport systematically attacked, etc. The history is well documented if you want to read about it.