Paul, I know what you mean about being young, invulnerable and STUPID.
I was driving on a 2 lane tarmac road, too fast, hit some water with my left wheels, spun out, spun off the road, took down abou 75 yards of a farmer's barbed wire fence and scratched my relatively new (If a Second Lieutenant could afford a new one) car.
On the following Monday, I had one of those "four chins interviews" with the Wing Commander. He asked a simple question: "Lieutenant, what have you done to insure this kind of thing won't happen again?" I'd been clued in so I had an answer.... "Sir, I put all new rubber on the ground so and got rid of the old slick tires."
I don't know how, but I got away with that one.
For sure... that mug in the mirror is the responsible party.
JR