In this context, we are not referring to abs as in a beautifully toned midsection, such as those which grace beaches, gyms and the covers of magazines. That would not even be appropriate to have on a car, anyway. When we say ABS here, we are referring to a safety feature on a car known as the Anti-lock Braking System. While it is a standard feature on most cars which are made in this day and age, a lot of cars still do not have such a common and useful component installed in them. Hopefully, there will soon be a time when you simply can not find a car which is without them at all- but of course, a time like that will likely be far off.
The great thing about ABS is that it allows a car to far more effectively stop when you get into a slide. Back in the old days, when a car would go into a slide, its driver would have to pump on the brakes to make sure that they did not lock up. Locking up the brakes tends to greatly decrease the effective ability to stop when you need it to the most, which used to be a significant cause of accidents in the days before the ABS was invented. Overall, this has been one of the most safe inventions besides the 3-point harness seat belt.
So when you start your car shopping trip, one of your first “narrowing it down” questions needs to be to ask whether or not the car has ABS in it. While a lot of cars will, you definitely need to stop the proverbial train in its tracks if one that you are looking at does not have it. After all, when it comes down to actually using the brakes, it can occasionally feel as if you are stopping a train. So remember that ABS is great, and should be in your car.