Traction and stability control vs awd

A very important consideration is the vehicle’s tires. All of the devices that you mentioned are very effective, but the only link that any of them have to a slippery winter road surface is 4 small patches of rubber making contact with the roadway.

One of the big myths is the concept of an “all-season” tire. Because of the inherent compromises in tire tread design, it is not currently possible to make a tire that is equally effective in all weather conditions. Because winter road conditions exist for only part of the year, so-called “all-season” tires are biased toward good performance on dry roads and rainy roads, with winter traction being a secondary consideration. The result is that drivers who rely on all-season tires in the winter actually have far less traction for starting, turning, and STOPPING than they think they do.

What is the bottom line of all of my blather? If you really want to be able to drive with as much safety as possible on slick winter roads, you should do two things:

Buy a set of 4 Winter tires (the term “snow tire” is now archaic) on their own dedicated set of steel wheels.
Even with those winter tires, ABS, traction control, stability control, and–possibly–AWD, make sure that you drive more slowly than you usually do and be sure to allow VERY long following distances between you and the car in front of you.

My vehicle has ABS and traction control and stability control and AWD, and I still mount a set of Michelin X-Ice tires during the winter. I always find it amazing to see how many Blazers, Jeeps, Explorers and other AWD vehicles are in a ditch, upside-down, while I motor safely past them with my winter tire-equipped vehicle.