ABS annoys me too -- I grew up in the era where real men (and women) knew how to pump their brakes, while dropping the automatic into neutral or gently engaging the clutch in a lower gear.

[pauses to pound chest ... and remember the good old days]

That has passed. In all honesty I must confess: even the crudest ABS pumps 5-10 times faster than I could manually. On an icy road, downshift gently and let the engine slow you down, then if necessary punch those ABS brakes and hold 'em. Your job is to steer ... toward the curb where the road is less polished; or straight into the snow-filled ditch; just don't hit another car or a whole 'nother bunch of ugly kicks in.

Yup, basic ABS kicks the pedal. But the bottom line is: ABS works.