I always thought this stuff was a joke, and just another thing to stick in brochures. I was very wrong.
I guess I just didnt realize how well the systems work, and that they still allow the driver so much input. I mean, he's a PRO driver, and it helped him immensely. That says something.
The technology is amazing. I think it can save a lot of lives of new drivers who don't know how to control their car in the snow.
If you'd watch the video you'd see it really has nothing to do with driver error. It aids accident avoidance at higher speeds.
Even if you are great at driving in the snow this can help you. No driver in the world can actuate braking on individual wheels to stop a skid. These systems can. I will be glad when every car on the road has it (as long as I can turn it off for times when I just want to mess around).
I personally doubt that it will affect accident rates that much. Just as with ABS, people will just start driving faster (thinking that ABS is there to make them stop faster) and still crash.
The whole ABS design is to give you ability to steer while braking hard and not loose traction. Not understanding the purpose of ABS and not knowing when it actually increases braking distance is dangerous ignorance.
I agree. The same can be said for AWD and VDC. However, ABS can decrease stopping distance. Here is the link
As a matter a fact, I have.... about 50 times. It's amazing what you can learn about your car on snow/ice in 8 hours. What I learned? ABS DOES aid in accident avoidance for the exact reasons listed. You rarely see people say, "I have ABS so I can go faster". It's more, "I have 4 wheel drive so I can go faster". That's the reason you see a lot of trucks in the ditch. More speed + more mass = more distance needed to brake.
