Most of my scars on my shins have gone now, but flat pedals only suck when you mess up and they dig into your shins. I found riding clipped in made riding easier, but it also made me a lazier rider. You can get away with a lot more clipped in. But it's fun riding flat pedals and it's nice to be able to just move your foot around if you want to. My trail bike was just my trail bike so having flats for running errands to shops was never a thought.
Worth practicing skills off the trail though.