The sample size is limited and the data varies from year to year. For these reasons, the IIHS study does not provide the necessary broad perspective of ABS' effectiveness in helping drivers avoid more common multi-vehicle accidents. It offers no new insights and is little more than a review of a very small sampling of the most severe irregularities in traffic, not the norm. The ABS Education Alliance believes indisputably in the safety value of anti-lock brakes. The technology has been proven repeatedly during decades of development and use in Europe and the U.S. to improve vehicle stability and control characteristics and, thereby, represents added value to vehicle purchasers.
ABS also provides a meaningful reduction in the accident rate.
It must be understood, however, that ABS does not give license to drive faster or less safely. Today, more than 40 million ABS-equipped cars are on American roads. With such widespread and growing use, it is important that the American driving public knows how to properly use ABS under various emergency conditions. While the IIHS study and previous studies suggest that driver behavior and other factors, such as speed and weather, may influence results, it does not consider these factors. This committee is composed of a broad based consortium of parties interested in a detailed and factual understanding of accidents involving ABS-equipped vehicles.