Skin temperature and motorcyclists' braking performance.
16 male and 12 female students who had previous experience with hand-operated lever-braking systems performed braking tests with their hands at normal temperatures (mean hand temperatures 27.8 degrees C) and with their hands cooled to give finger temperatures of 6 degrees C and back of hand temperatures of 14 degrees C. Tasks required subjects, in response to a visual stimulus of a red light, to extend their digits to grip a motorcycle brake and pull it on. Reduced times were measured for (a) responding to the stimulus by grabbing the brake lever and pulling it to full braking pressure in the hydraulic system, (b) extending the digits, and (c) flexing the digits and pulling on the brake. In each case conditions produced a significant decrement in performance. This effect may occur when riding a motorcycle with cold hands, a common occurrence in Northern Europe.
D000054:Acceleration; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003654:Deceleration; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills; D012881:Skin Temperature; D014186:Transportation