Planes get so much attention precisely because they're so safe. If we reported ever car crash, we'd not have time for much else whereas planes hardly ever crash. Every crash is international news with national investigations because they hardly ever happen.
Now try explaining that to someone with a fear of flying.
I think the comparative rarity of plane accidents is part of why they're such a big deal. I've been a number of car crashes and survived relatively unscathed. Neither I, nor anyone I know (and likely a few levels of separation further) has ever been involved in any aircraft accident/incident.
People are terrible at assessing risk. Big, scary things like falling out the sky seem like bigger risks because they grab attention, no matter what the stats say.
Flying is one of the safest modes of transport. And we have FAA and stringent training / maintenance processes to thank.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_...
US has the highest death rate per million inhabitants. Even Russia is lower now.
~100 people die every day from car accidents.
If only car accidents were investigated with the rigor of flight accidents.