I agree with Miss Whiplash (words I never imagined myself writing!)

To me, the idea of getting on your bike when you know it has a fault that has caused two accidents, is plain stupidity. "I should hopefully get a bit of notice before the problem recurs" does not inspire confidence. What if you don't? Why risk it?

Instead, why don't you remove the mudguards completely, and put them in your backpack or something while you ride to the bike shop. If you do this on a dry day, you won't even notice they are missing.