But google says this
Taping up windows prevents them from shattering."
No. No it does not. In fact, it can make matters worse. When untaped windows get hit with flying debris, they're liable to shatter into a million tiny pieces. Sure, that sounds bad, but consider the alternative. When taped windows are hit with debris, they still break, but into larger, more menacing, dangerous pieces. These are the shards that could cause really damage to you. So forget the tape; it's just a pain to clean up afterwards anyway.
Shrug. I'd tape them myself. To me its more about have some structure in the window hole to minimize rain coming in.