It's a choice in so much as I would be gambling against how likely I am to get knocked back at a safety inspection for having plugs on the side wall. I'm in urban NSW and whether I'd get by a safety inspection would be a gamble on how particular the mechanic is. One of the mechanics I go to warned me about a single slightly cloudy headlight for my next inspection, which is comical compared to some of the cars I've seen on the roads in Sydney. I'm sure he'd be a big fan of those tyres.

Understandable if you're rural though.

I didn't advocate sidewall plugs.

What I can say is that properly fitted plugs in the tread can last a long time with little leakage and that three or four plugs in the tyre tread (widely spaced, not all jammed in a big hole) seem to last a fair few years.