While antilock brakes (ABS) have been convincingly demonstrated to enhance test track braking performance, their effect on crash risk in actual driving has been less clear. This research was conducted to seek clear associations between ABS and risk of involvement in one particular class of crashes, namely, two-vehicle crashes, particularly on wet roads. It is found that when driving on wet roads ABS reduces the risk of a vehicle crashing into a lead vehicle compared to its risk of being struck in the rear by 48 (plus or minus 6)%, the error limits are one standard error. This large effect could arise from reduced risk of front impacts or increased risk of rear impacts. Using the assumption that side-impact crashes estimate exposure showed that, for wet roads, ABS reduces the risk of crashing into a lead vehicle by 32 (plus or minus 8)%, but increase the risk of being struck in the rear by 30 (plus or minus 14)%.
Abstract