just an opinion. switching circuit will be having current spike in it. current is equivalent to rate of voltage changes over time (dV/dt). the voltage travel from 0 to 12V within a very short time. this introduce spike in switching circuit.
however, this effect (current spike) can be dampened by putting a capacitor across +/- terminal.
My point is, better to use capacitor across power supply if you want to have your simple LED life longer. The circuit is good, but current protection must be there.
http://www.web-ee.com/Schematics/Brakes/brakes.htm