This reputation has been inflated by car commercials that imply antilocks can prevent crashes because of better stopping power under all conditions. Consumers very often haven't been shown cars with antilocks performing on surfaces that are wet and slippery. This is the very surface on which antilocks should make their main contribution. Many car owners don't know how to use antilock brakes effectively and the manuals that come with their automobiles offer little help. Some of the manuals don't spell out how using antilock brakes is different from using regular brakes.
Some manufacturers provide no instructions at all.
This is false. Traditionally, drivers are trained to brake gently on slippery roads or to pump their brakes to avoid a skid. But it is firm, continuous brake pressure that is required to activate antilocks, which should never be pumped. This is exactly what the antilock feature does for the driver automatically, it pumps the brakes many times a second. With the driver pumping antilock brakes during a skid, braking effectiveness may be reduced to the point of no brakes at all.