Back in the late 1970's, every el-cheapo department store bike had 'em. We used to call them "chicken levers", because people that asked for them were scared about riding a drop-bar bike. They were notorious for bending or breaking whenever you really squeezed them hard. I understand that they were discontinued due to lawsuits.

The best thing you can do to your bike is to remove them, and quickly. They really don't work worth a d@mn, and if you are riding with your hands near the stem all the time, you should be riding a hybrid, not a roadbike.