Liam, I think if you are already thinking of safety, that is great.
There are many good posts here with good advice.
Things I was told early on that have stood me in good stead:-
It is always better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.
There is no such thing as a stupid question - if you want to know something, ask. Never assume or guess. Take time to find out.
The most useless things in aviation are the air in your fuel tanks and the runway behind you when you line up.
My own thoughts:-
Always take time to prepare and always be prepared to make the decision to go home. If in doubt ALWAYS err on the side of safety. Always consider your options carefully.
If you are a consicentious, thinking pilot you will have alleviated most of the risks.
And those accident reports - it is well worth reading them as it will give you the knowledge to avoid making the same mistake yourself. In fact, I would recommend reading them and then considering what you might have done differently, if you had been in the same situation. Airlines regularly publish pilots incident reports to the rest of the crews, even minor stuff, for this reason. You can also go read books, read around the subject, ask on here (although these days there are lots of "armchair" pilots on pprune, so try to make sure they actually have a licence if you are going to take their advice!!!!).
If you ever find yourself rushing, not in the right frame of mind, or worried about something, don't go flying.
And remember - flying IS meant to be fun!