ABS STUDY AT A GLANCE

Feb. 1, 1996 -- A study released today by the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) shows anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents significantly. Conducted by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc., the study analyzed more than 43,000 accidents in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina between 1985 and 1993. To ensure the best comparisons, the accidents studied involved 34 pairs of vehicles. Each pair included a vehicle from the first year in which ABS was available as standard equipment and the same or a similar model from the nearest preceding year without ABS.

Data used in the study was collected from police accident reports and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The study's margin of error is 5 percent. Key elements include:

• Overall accident rates -- 9 percent to 10 percent lower for vehicles with ABS.
  
  
• Accident rates on wet, snowy and icy roads -- 17 percent to 19 percent lower for vehicles with ABS.
  
  
• Accident rates on dry roads -- 6 percent to 8 percent lower for vehicles with ABS.
  
  
• Rates of accidents involving injuries -- 10 percent to 13 percent lower in incidents involving ABS vehicles.
  
  
• Rates of accidents involving injuries on wet roads -- 24 percent to 28 percent lower in incidents involving ABS vehicles.
  
  
• Rates of accidents involving injuries on dry roads -- 4 percent to 10 percent lower in incidents involving ABS vehicles.
  
  
• Accident rates for multiple-vehicle accidents -- 10 percent to 13 percent lower for ABS vehicles.
  
  
• Accident rates for single-vehicle accidents -- slight numerical increase for vehicles with ABS (for example in Florida the rate of increase translates to less than one more rollover per 10,000 vehicles per year.) *
  
  
• Rate of fatalities resulting from accidents -- no significant difference between ABS-equipped vehicles and non-ABS vehicles.

* Single-vehicle accidents represented just 1 percent to 2 percent of all accidents in the study. The most common type of accident involves two or more vehicles.

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