Absent minded is a trait that (in my opinion) really serves no purpose or benefit to a sim. In my opinion, it is of those traits that children develop when their parents fail to nurture their toddlers with the proper guidance, and attention they need in order to become successful children.
Clumsy is another trait along the same line as absent-minded. It really serves no purpose, the only thing really is that they will run into trash cans, and trip up the stairs.
EDIT: @TheCronicR: Yes, daredevils will get killed in a fire, but it is quite rare. However, when freewill is turned off, the chances of a daredevil being killed in a fire increases by 45%.