Why not use actual switches instead of Relays
That's what a relay is.

In both cases you have a set of contacts carrying current. In both cases there is a mechanism for moving the switch: in a relay, this is done by a magnetic coil. All techniques available for switch construction can also be applied to relay contacts.

The lifetime issue is only visible on relays because they generally get switched a lot more often than humans can manage on a switch. If you look at lifetime specs in terms of number of operations they're usually similar.