one lapse in judgement
That's not strictly accurate, is it?
we can all say at one point we have done the same but got away with it.
Speak for yourself! I can honestly say that I have never set out to violate the rules & regs; on the frequent occasions when I have made mistakes and got things wrong, I have tried to learn from them (an ongoing process!) rather than repeating said errors in the name of excitement. There's plenty of fun to be had within the rules!