You're missing the point of the articles that you are posting.

ABS is not intended as a braking distance reducer and doesn't always work as one. From your article:

When used properly, an antilock brake system (ABS) is a safe and effective braking system. ABS allows the driver to maintain directional stability,control over steering, and IN SOME SITUATIONS, to reduce stopping distances during emergency braking situation, particularly on wet and slippery road surface. To gain this safety advantage, drivers must learn how to operate their ABS correctly.

Why is that important?
When your brakes lock up on wet and slippery roads or during a panic stop, you lose steering control and your vehicle can spin. Rear wheel ABS prevents wheel lockup so that your car stays in a straight line. If your car has ABS control on all four wheels, you also keep steering control. If you have steering control, it is possible to avoid a crash by STEERING AROUND hazards if a complete stop cannot be accomplished in time.

I'm not trying to pick nits here, there is an important difference between stopping and steering to avoid a situation. All I am saying is that there is a specific set of circumstance where ABS will not allow you to stop and you must be aware of these circumstances in order to avoid a possibly dangerous situation such as rolling into a busy intersection.

These circumstances are:

1. At low speeds.
2. On a slippery surface.
3. When the driver is ignorant of the possibility that the vehicle may not stop.

The point is not that ABS is evil, but that you must know what you are dealing with.

ABS doesn't and can't make a distinction between gravel, ice, water, oil, tar, and normal road surface. It simply prevents the brakes from locking up. If you lose traction while you are stomping on the brakes, ABS can and usually does help you regain traction long enough to stop or swerve. But you better not count on the stop part, you always also need to be ready to swerve in an emergency situation.

That's it, that's all I am trying to say.

Not go disconnect your ABS because you have such great reflexes.

Not it sucks that we have to suffer through ABS.

Simply, know that there is a situation where ABS can't help you and can, in fact, hinder you. When you get in that situation, you have to know what to do, steer out of the way or apply the emergency brake.

I like my ABS. They are my friends. They stop car good. They make life more better.

I actually came back and added this part after I posted. I just couldn't resist.

My dad's a design engineer on missles and satellites. My brother is a mechanical engineer on fighter planes. My mom was a computer science engineer before she retired. I know engineers and I know they are people. Just being an engineer doesn't make you all-knowing - can you say, Pinto, Gremlin, Edsel, Yugo, or any product of English engineering?

I apologize, that was a nasty sideswipe, but I really did try to resist. I promise I really did.

 

The time abs saved my butt i couldn't have stopped at any rate, but I was able to do just what is being mentioned, slow down enough to safely steer around the impending obstacle, and subsequently stop before finding another obstacle. In this case the roads where wet and a car pulled in front of me from another lane at a much slower speed and immediately came to a stop. I would have slid right into them because I jab the brakes and lost traction and would not have been able to steer. But the abs did its job and kept the wheel rolling so I could maintain directional control.

However, thats about the 1 time it saved me. It cost me big time in a different car when I made a quick stop from a slow speed in stop and go traffic. My car was nose down stopped, but at the last 1/2 second the abs pulsed and I bounced into the guy in front of me causing minimal damage, but it was the second accident I had and for 3 years my rates with a different company were astronomically high. I also experimented with my truck in the snow last year by jabbing the brakes at speed on snow and applying them at lower speeds normally. It almost always seemed they wouldn't activate the abs till I was almost stopped even if I modulated the brakes with less force I couldn't keep them from going nuts and on all occasions I just rolled right into the intersection. After the first time it happened I knew to respond, but I shouldn't have to.

And for the most part I trust the engineers, but like was mentioned they aren't perfect. Otherwise we wouldn't have safety recalls and would all be driving 5 star rated vehicles.