I'm sorry but we get 6 months a year in icy/snowy conditions down here and I drive 1000km a week in all weathers so I think I can speak from experience.
The safety comparison in extreme slick conditions:
First - get m+s rated tires for winter. This makes a HUGE difference in traction and safety in all cars. Cheapest life insurance you can get. Conti winter contact etc.
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Second, ranking in snow goes like this worst to best:
RWD
FWD
AWD
AWD is simply superior because it can give you acceleration to take you out of harms way in interstates etc when you're about to be swiped by a semi for example. Or when you need passing performance on the road. The AWD makes the car run much more stable in ice grooves etc. giving a serious boost to drive comfort in long winter hauls. The myth about awd stopping worse is just that, a myth. If anything awd may fool the driver into thinking it's not so slippery and then surprise when braking - but an awd stops just as well as equally weighted 2wd car.
Older awd cars had major stability problems because the awd requires differentials in all axles and this can cause trouble when sliding (you're actually supposed to accelerate to get the wheels turning if they lock up, a feat unimaginable by a panicing woman) but modern traction control takes care of that. Most advanced traction controls can actually apply power to the wheels instead of just stupidly braking.
Can not agree with you any more.
Funny story two winters ago (funny because the only casualties were a 4-foot tall pine sapling and a scuff to the bumper), my parents were vacationing at the cabin and my mom ran to town in my dad's truck (RWD) for groceries. Before she left she unfortunatley removed the four sacks of weathered concrete we had in the back over the tires, not knowing any better (she was born, raised, and learned to drive in New Jersey, so derned if I know what she was thinking). On her way back a blizzard rolled in and she suddenly drove the truck off the road on a bend and into a snow bank and pine sapling, so there was no damage but it was stuck. Neighbor happened by shortly and kept her warm with her car while calling us to let us know and she got winched out about an hour later (afterwards, the tow truck driver helped her load some rocks into the back over the tires, lol). She understands now to load it up with rocks or any other deadweight in the back if it's going to be icy/snowing while driving the truck.
