I think that removing them would put you in tremendous liability in the event that a child accidentally got into the tub. My insurance specifically asked if we keep the tub cover locked down. I don't live in the city, my neighbors can't even see my tub..but you just never know ..just saying the potential is there and my cover is always latched down, and even locked when I am away for any period of time.
I also strap my cover down to eyebolts in my deck when the wind is a concern. Of course we were ready for Sandy
