I'm not sure its a good idea to lie about the relative dangers. After an accident people change and I would not want a pax saying that they only went up as a result of a lie.
If people ask, I tell them that its dangerous, but that we are trained to minimise the risks and to deal safely with an emergency, should the need arise.
I'm sure an element of danger adds to most pax experience.
With regards to the level of danger, the last figures I saw (GASCo ?) were 1 fatality per 70,000 hours flown. This did equate to the risks of riding a motorcycle.
Helicopters and microlights were very slightly worse.