I had to think long and hard about this. I've done so many idiotic things over the years, and the histogram of such incidents indicates a high occurance in my 17-to-19-years-old period.
One I'll admit to was when I was driving my 4-cylinder LX. I was going to turn onto a road that just veers off to the right by about 30 degrees from the centerline of the road. Well, due to people being lazy about turning that corner (going off the road and kicking up gravel), I overestimated the coefficient of friction I had against the road.
I lost traction in the middle of the "turn" and skidded, running over the stop sign. I was moving at around 45mph, and if you've ever hit ice at that speed, you know it's not the best feeling in the world.
In hindsight, yes I was moving a little fast, and thank God that there wasn't another car there at the intersection. Still, those stones I hit on the road surface must have been numerous and very small. I shouldn't have skidded, but the best part is that no damage occurred (except to the stop sign post, which was obliterated), no one was hurt, and I learned from it. One of the best driving lessons I've ever received, IMHO, and I think my guardian angel got overtime pay that week.
