A while ago I went through all the NTSB statistics for off-runway forced landings in Long-EZEs and Vari-EZEs and the chances of them proving fatal were substantial - off the top of my head 30% to 50% depending on how you counted. By contrast it was hard to find a Piper Cub fatality due to an engine failure. There were a few stall-spin accidents but that was just about all.
It seems to me that precautionary landings are an excellent idea in the right aircraft, but not to be undertaken lightly in anything higher performance.