I too am surprised that there are recent model cars without ABS, would like to know what make/model you bought just out of curiosity.

I appreciate dakota44's insight into ABS; I've heard similar comments before but never quite in such detail. My current car has 'traction control' or 'stability control'. Basically, it's a front-wheel drive car with too much horsepower and uses stability control to help manage it (not the manufacturers explanation, but the reviewers ). The system kicks in not just under emergency braking, but during acceleration, cornering, etc, and involves throttle control and more. I THINK the system provides an overall improved emergency braking experience too, though I'm not 100% sure; I did have a few 'brake slamming' experiences not too long ago, and was amazed at how well the car handled, but haven't looked into it beyond that.
The point being, maybe (just maybe) the newer, more sophisticated 'Stability Control' systems are providing a better emergency handling experience compared to simple ABS alone.

I just hope those engineers know what the heck they are doing ... I'm an ex-programmer and I know all too well how bugs get into systems

Traction Control and Vehicle Stability Control are two different things. There is low speed traction control that basically helps prevent wheel spin on takeoff from a stop or while moving at low speeds. It uses the ABS to stop wheel spin. On a steep hill, in slippery conditions (snow, ice) it is a royal pain in the arse because it is constantly working and, as a result, lugs the engine and can stall the car. It can also accomplish that inconvenience from a dead stop on flat ground if conditions are slippery enough. Most vehicles that have it, have a shut off button for such situations.

Vehicle Stability Control is a great system and, you are correct, it can control a number of functions via the body computers. It can sense when it needs to control throttle or brake, and on some vehicles with electric power steering, even the steering. It will override what you are doing, if what you are doing is wrong. It needs gas and you are not giving it? It does it itself. You're trying to give it gas and it does not want it? It won't let you. Same for the brakes.

Definitely a system worth having.

Did you get an answer from them ER.. ? I'm gonna be back soon.. shall we go round and 'duff' them up... ?

I'd say that generally speaking, ABS does a far better job of stopping than most humans do. It pumps the brakes under hard braking, which is something that people should do in severe situations but often don't.

Given that, it yields better results for most people, most of the time, than you'd have without it. A car with ABS will have shorter distances than a car without it whose driver locks the brakes and fails to modulate them properly. More importantly, the car should stop predictably and continue to go straight, instead of veering into another lane or doing something worse.

There are circumstances where it is a disadvantage for highly skilled drivers, but most drivers aren't that skilled and are better off having it. I'm glad that it has become commonplace, I have little doubt that in combination with other safety features that ABS has contributed positively to lowering accident and fatality rates.

Blimey. That's a pretty eventful track record!

Those car info stickers are generic and based on the VIN number.

Case in point, I went to look at a used car at a dealer after looking through the the fact sheet on-line. While standing there and having a final glance, before they even brought it round to test drive I said forget it... it said it was a 5-speed manual. My wife only drives autos.

Later, I glanced at the photos of the interior of the car, and realized the gear shift was blatantly an auto one. I went back, test drove it... and actually bought it!

The dealer says the info isn't entered for each car line by line... they just put the VIN in the system and the info is pulled. In this case, the VIN didn't indicate the transmission.

Not a great excuse in this case, but I guess the lesson learned here is check EVERYTHING on those info stickers.

I've got a 2nd hand 2003 Galant without ABS. I think there are a couple of low end Mitsu's without it.

Most Corollas did not have it until 2009 model intro.

We'll take two cars, one with abs and one without, on dry road and I guarantee I will use a short stopping distance without abs. In snow conditions stopping at an intersection, I'll yield better results without abs. 30 years in the car business and having driven most makes under all conditions, I have had numerous abs experiences that were not pleasant.

Yes, locking up brakes can, if your brakes are not in proper condition, or you do not have electronic brake force distribution (which adjusts brake force according to weight distribution) cause a vehicle to lose its "straight line" in a panic stop. But rarely, if you have good brakes. You can only lose straight line if the rear brakes are not doing their job and thus allow the rear end to swing out.

ABS has one main benefit..being able to steer in a panic stop, and therefore avoiding a collision. Problem is, most people forget to steer away from the collision and expect the car to stop before it hits. Not going to happen in too many cases.

Plenty of info out there on the failings of abs in slippery conditions. But like I said, in California and other non snow areas, not usually an issue.

I'll also include this information from a 2005 study.

The safety benefits of antilock brakes (ABS) have come under fire by such groups as the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), who published a report that said antilock brakes are NOT reducing either the frequency or the cost of crashes.

According to the HLDI report, 1,000 fatal crashes during a 10 year period were studied to see if ABS made a difference one way or the other. The HLDI researchers found that a person in an ABS-equipped vehicle actually had a 45% greater chance of dying in a single-vehicle crash than someone in a vehicle without ABS. The person�s chance of dying went up also went up 65% when the vehicle was involved in a single-car accident on wet pavement.

On the other hand, the report also found that multi-vehicle fatal crashes on wet roads were actually 24% lower for ABS-equipped cars, and that ABS-equipped cars killed 27% fewer pedestrians and bicyclists. But these reductions were offset by a 28% higher fatality rate involving accidents where an ABS-equipped vehicle ran off the road and rolled over.

The HLDI news release also cited a separate study that General Motors did of crashes involving ABS-equipped vehicles in two states. The GM study found that ABS-equipped vehicles had 3% fewer accidents overall but suffered a 44% increase in rollovers.

My Corolla ('04) doesn't have it, no chance of snowbanks here, monsoons instead. So far so good.

Perhaps you are better than the norm. The average driver is better off with ABS because the average driver is likely to slam the pedal as hard as possible in the event of a panic stop. ABS is ideal to the lock up alternative because the system modulates the brakes in a way that the panicked driver should but does not.

I suspect that there is a correlation/ causation issue here. Rollover accidents are uncommon among passenger car drivers, but relatively frequent for SUV drivers. Rollover accidents are often initiated by sudden swerving. Brakes become of little relevance when the wheels are leaving terra firma for place above the roofline.

The cure for SUV rollovers, aside from exercising greater caution when driving vehicles with such high centers of gravity, is stability control. ABS shouldn't matter much either way in the case of rollovers. SUV drivers need to slow down and look ahead, instead of assuming that mass alone is going to save them.