ABS is good for rainy conditions. But in snow is where it really starts to suck. If you don't know how to use ABS it can even worse then not knowing how to use brakes without ABS. Some people up here just pull the fuse in their cars for the abs in the winter times. Then again, these are the same people that don't know how to use it either.
Some ABS systems are REALLY bad. cavaliers, Sunfires, anything GM really, or Ford Trucks/vans. They engage prematurely, and as a result you take FOREVER to stop. These are the cars that give ABS a bad name. Honda makes a good ABS system, and over the years I've had it, I learned to use it, and trust it. When someone would s*** on ABS I would say....it's because your driving a sunfire asshole. They would laugh, and I would take them out in the Prelude and scare the @#$@#$ out of them all the while showing the how ABS does work when used right.
I've never experienced the ABS in Protege's, as my MP3 doesn't have it. But, this is a concern for when I move into the MSP. If all else fails, I too will pull the fuse for the winter months.