I don't actually buy this argument. I don't think the average car driver is tooling down the road thinking that they can follow closer, or wait later to brake because they have ABS brakes. I think most people that have pbuttenger cars with ABS never even experience its operation. Heck, my sister thinks her Honda has ABS, but it doesn't. Likewise, a good friend's wife told us how ABS saved her from an accident. Turns out her car doesn't have ABS either. And ask people that make exaggerated claims about ABS brakes how the car reacted when the ABS did its thing. I think you'll be surprised that most of them have not experienced ABS cycling the brakes. I know for my vehicles that have ABS (3 out of 4), I have had to deliberately provoke the ABS. I have never had ABS do anything when I was just driving in traffic (and that includes more than a few trips through snow and ice).
I think if you actually compare apples to apples (a car with a good non-abs system to the same model car with a good abs system with identical tires) the difference in stopping distances in most conditions will be trivial. Often the difference in stopping distances between models of a particular car line with and without ABS are confused because of different tire options. And many comparison tests of ABS systems to conventional systems are flawed because they make the invalid buttumption that disabling the ABS system makes the test car equivalent to the same car with a properly designed and operating conventional braking system (which it usually is not).
I don't object to ABS being treated like an extra cost performance option. I do object to having it rammed down my throat as standard equipment. For pbuttenger cars, it is at best a marginal improvement, and I'd rather spend my money on other things (like better tires, or better maintenance of the braking and suspension systems). I figure we are spending billions on a supposed "safety" device that can't be shown to have appreciably improved safety.
I do think rear wheel ABS is a useful feature for trucks and other vehicles that are likely to be loaded in drastically different manners. I also think if you take light trucks out of the ABS safety statistic, ABS brakes actually show a "negative" safety improvement for pbuttenger cars. It is tragic how much money NHTSA has spent trying to figure out why ABS brakes aren't saving lives. They have literally spent millions running tests and combing statistics trying to find an excuse for requiring ABS brakes for pbuttenger cars. Still, the NHTSA has never been able to justify requiring ABS brakes for pbuttenger cars. However, vehicle manufacturer's have managed to do the job for them by creating a false illusion of safety related to ABS brakes and making them standard (at a steep additional cost) on most vehicles. ABS is not much more than a buzz word that marketing folks throw out to impress the mbuttes and justify charging higher prices. I am surprised that they haven't given it a cool name like Bortex Brakes. ABS brakes are about as useful a safety device as Radial Tuned Suspension.
Ed
