This, this, this, a million times this. My first experience with drop bars (about a year ago), I didn't feel safe braking from the hoods, and the drops were just too low for me, so I swapped out the bars for something flatter. After a long ride on those, my hands were killing me, and a conversation with a friend got me interested in trying drop bars again. When I tried out some bikes with drop bars that had interruptor levers, and the bars set at a comfortable height for me, everything was better. I brake from the hoods to slow down, but if I need to make a quicker stop, I use the interruptors, and I feel much safer. I won't ride drop bars without them!