The advice of this article is: Don't drive a car unless you have to, which is seldom. Many people will denounce this. Cars are fast, comfortable and get you everywhere. In modern day life you just need a car. And why we're talking about it, why give it up anyway? The short answer to that last question is to say that cars have evolved from a useful transport vehicle to a big problem. The long answer is listed below.

• Cars cause traffice jams. This is the least negative effect, as the car drivers themselves suffer the most of it. Many of them will state that traffic jams are caused by a lack of roads and road width. The fact is that they are caused by the presence of too many cars. During many decennia the increase of roads has not been able to halt traffic jams. When roads are widened or multiplied, more people jump into a car and drivers drive longer distances, nullifying the increase.
• Cars use a lot of space. Main roads, excluding streets in urban areas, cover 3.5% of the total land surface of the Netherlands, despite the fact that they a narrow strips. In cities, entire streets and squares are stacked with cars, while other traffic is pushed into the margins.
• Car drivers are responsible for almost all fatal accidents in traffic. About half the time they kill other car drivers or themselves, but the other half consists of cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. Those latter categories hardly ever kill somebody who drives a car. Car drivers themselves are well protected by steel casings, airbags and seat girdles, but little or nothing is done to protect people outside their vehicles.
• Cars are noisy. Municipalities build walls and dikes around their residential neighborhoods, not to ward off invaders or water floods, but to keep out traffice noise.
• Last but certainly not least: Cars pollute the air. This causes respitory diseases and probably most of the climate change too, with devastating effects. In the Netherlands, about one quarter of air pollution is caused by cars.
  It is decreasing, as gasoline engines are (slowly) being replaced by more efficient electric engines. But most of the electricity is being generated in power plants fueled by old-fashioned fossil fuels. In the transition from fuel via steam to electricity much energy is lost, so cars still end up as gas-guzzlers.

There are alternatives to cars: public transport, riding a bicycle or simply walking. Sometimes they will require more travel time, sometimes they will actually be faster. They are generally less comfortable than cars, but will make you more physically fit. They will also let you experience the world around you, rather than shield you from it.
If you do most of your shopping locally, teach your kids to stand on their own feet from an early age, seek work close to home instead of far away and make travel part of your holiday rather than pre- and afterlude, you will find that will seldom have need of car.
I live in modern day life. I have a drivers license. I use it about ... twice a year, to help a friend to move to another house, or to transport heavy goods. I don't own car; I don't need it. If I can do it, why can't you?