....I won;t fit them.
I figure they'd do more damage to the frame than the panels, and as long as you've got track panels fitted, there's no great harm done, but getting the frame repainted / repaired is a whole new world of pain!!!
In a big off they may well do better than not havine them, but if its that bigger crash, there's likely to be more than just superficial damage anyway!!
My advice - get some strong track fairings and avoid bungs!!
Tim