Paris Leads European Capitals in Risky Fleet Driving Maneuvers

Paris recorded more than five times Berlin’s rate

Geotab, a company focused on connected operations, video telematics and artificial intelligence-based analytics, said its European Urban Freight Efficiency Index identified large differences in driving behavior across the seven capitals.

The analysis examined more than 130 million trips made in 2025 by vehicles connected to Geotab. Using GPS data, it counted three types of dangerous events: hard acceleration, harsh braking and sharp turns.

Berlin had the lowest rate, with 225 events per 1,000 trips, followed by Dublin with 315, Amsterdam with 356, Rome with 393 and London with 462. Madrid recorded 1,088 events, while Paris ranked highest at 1,191. Geotab said Paris’s rate was 5.3 times Berlin’s, compared with 4.8 times for Madrid.

Acceleration dominates Paris results

The mix of risky maneuvers varied between cities. In Paris, hard acceleration accounted for 79% of events, compared with 69% in Madrid. Harsh braking represented 15% of Paris’s events and sharp turns 6.5%.

Geotab said the prevalence of acceleration in Paris could be linked in part to rapid starts after stops. The area with the highest concentration of incidents was in the 18th arrondissement near Porte de la Chapelle, which accounted for 1.8% of the city’s recorded events. Other areas were identified along the inner périphérique and west of Paris toward La Défense.

Paris’s peak in abrupt-driving events occurred at 19 h. The city ranked fifth in the wider efficiency index, with a score of 37 out of 100, despite recording the study’s highest rate of risky maneuvers.

Traffic flow and road design shape the patterns

Geotab reported a relationship between traffic fluidity and the frequency of abrupt-driving events. Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin and Rome, the four cities with the strongest freight-efficiency scores, recorded the lowest rates. Paris, London and Madrid had the three highest rates and ranked near the bottom of the index.

The type and location of incidents also differed. Amsterdam’s three busiest areas accounted for 13.7% of the city’s abrupt-driving behavior, the highest concentration in the study. In Dublin, the three busiest areas were all on the Naas Road, or N7. London’s incidents were widely distributed, with its busiest area accounting for only 0.6%.

Berlin recorded nearly equal shares of hard acceleration and harsh braking, at 45% and 44%, while sharp turns represented 10%. Geotab linked the result in part to Berlin’s broad, straight avenues and polycentric layout. In Rome, harsh braking accounted for 40% of events, acceleration for 33% and sharp turns for 27%, a pattern the company associated partly with narrow, winding streets in the historic center.

Fleet operators are advised to tailor interventions

Geotab said the same number of abrupt-driving events should be interpreted differently depending on the city. A rate of 1,000 events per 1,000 trips would be close to Madrid’s observed level but well above Berlin’s, making local comparisons important when fleet operators set targets.

According to Geotab, frequent acceleration may call for in-vehicle coaching, driver guidance and real-time alerts. When harsh braking or sharp turns are concentrated at particular intersections, route planning or infrastructure-related measures may be more appropriate. The company also said video telematics can provide additional context about individual events and support driver coaching based on specific situations.