[mikecsh]

Getting in a car is fraught with peril. Every time somebody gets in a vehicle they're dicing with death.

I think it's important to contextualise the risk. The risk of dying from an anaesthetic is about 1 in 100,000. Compare with risk of dying in a car accident in a given year for example.

And again, it comes down to risk:benefit. Anaesthetics are not given out willy-nilly. The reason for the anaesthetic is considered along with the patient's co-morbidities and personal physiological parameter where relevant. Based on this a reasonable estimate of the personalised risks for that patient for that operation can be given for the patient to choose if they wish to proceed or not.