[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

ABS reduces overall crash involvement risk by 6 percent for cars and 8 percent for pickups and SUVs.

From the NHTSA:

This statistical analysis of the initial years of exposure of the first groups of cars equipped with ABS showed mixed results. Involvements in multivehicle crashes on wet roads were significantly reduced in the cars equipped with ABS: fatal crashes were reduced by 24 percent, and nonfatal crashes by 14 percent. Fatal collisions with pedestrian and bicyclists were down a significant 27 percent with ABS. However, these reductions were offset by a statistically significant increase in the frequency of single vehicle, run-off-road crashes (rollovers or impacts with fixed objects), as compared to cars without ABS. Fatal run-off-road crashes were up by 28 percent, and nonfatal crashes by 19 percent. It is unknown to what extent this increase is a consequence of ABS, or is due to other causes. In particular, it is unknown to what extent, if any, the increase is due to incorrect responses by drivers to their ABS systems, and, if so, whether the effect is likely to persist in the future. ...

Stopping distances decreased substantially with four-wheel ABS on wet surfaces, but decreased only slightly on dry pavement and increased considerably on gravel.

The increase of crashes are:

All types of run-off-road crashes - rollovers, side impacts with fixed objects and frontal impacts with fixed objects - increased significantly with ABS. Nonfatal run-off-road crashes increased by an estimated 19 percent, and fatal crashes by 28 percent.

Rollovers and side impacts with fixed objects - crashes that typically follow a complete loss of directional control - had the highest increases with ABS. Nonfatal crashes increased by 28 percent, and fatal crashes by 40 percent.

Frontal impacts with fixed objects, where the driver is more likely to have retained at least some directional control prior to impact, increased by about 15-20 percent, both nonfatal and fatal.

Unfortunately that soundbyte (that ignores all facts) is not what the NHTSA says. NHTSA results cannot exist in a sounbyte. Big letters imply a claim is incomplete, vague, or emotional.

Meanwhile, GM commericials showed ABS increasing safety on shear ice. The myth persists. Most first heard and therefore believed that myth. The NHTSA asks whether ABS myths have cause an increase in crashes and death due to reckless driving inspired by ABS or other reasons related to ABS.

ABS does virtually nothing to protect a driver on ice. Meanwhile, other automakers (with products designed by engineers) provided speed sensitive steering. A solution based in fundamental concepts of quality as even defined by William Edward Deming. No quality is to solve a problem after it exist. Quality is about averting a problem before it happens. Speed sensitive steering is a quality solution. ABS was marketed to save your ass AFTER it exists. ABS is a low quality solution that cannot do on ice what GM commercials claimed.

A question is how many died because they believe ABS myths and therefore drove recklessly? Numbers suggest this is a problem.

The report also quotes a study from the insurance industry:

In late 1993, the Highway Loss Data Institute published an analysis of the effect of ABS on collision and property-damage-liability claims. They found that ABS had little effect on the overall, insurance-reported accident rates of cars. This report's findings on the overall, net effect of ABS corroborate the earlier study. However, this report also shows that ABS is not ineffectual. The net benefit is close to zero, because significant reductions in pedestrian impacts and wet-road multivehicle crashes are nullified by significant increases in run-off-road crashes.