when at speed, i find skidding to be good for slowing down w/o using much energy. backpedaling hard from a good head of steam is strenuous for me. the flip side is, i don't like skidding when going downhill--it feels a bit tenuous to me. if my bars were higher i probably wouldn't feel this way. the more delicate handling, in really heavy traffic (as opposed to when bombing down an avenue), going slow and doing more weaving, i have no preference for bars--i use flats, drops, and horns and like them all for this purpose. this is when i do a lot of weighting on the pedals in order to deftly regulate my speed.
when talking about the effectiveness of skidding, it's important to differentiate between hockey-stop skidding, and plain linear skidding. it's the difference between dragging an ice skate behind you, and, well, a hockey stop. even when putting hockey-style skidding aside, skidding may be the most effective way to stop if somebody is not strong enough to backpedal hard. it took me a while to get to the point where i can backpedal hard enough to stop quicker than my skids.
but anyway, why talk so much about this? slow down however you want to in order to be safe, in order to clear the obstacle, and then keep moving!