kleng

I don't think Giant has experienced any fork failures specifically due to manufacturing faults.
Any fork from any manufacturer could be damaged and or fail n a crash, whether it be steel or carbon, it just depends on the type of impact.
You could die from the slightest impact/crash if you were unlucky, there are a lot of unknowns which you can't really protect yourself against.

With the drop handlebars you can position your hands on the hoods or on the tops, it would give you some positions similar to that of the riser bars.
Drop bars are a more flexible proposition.

It sounds like it would be better for you to go with the Escape model, which is designed for more comfort and less performance than the Defy 1, it would be easier to handle if you don't have any bike handling skills.