Paris records 5.3 times more harsh driving events per trip than Berlin, Geotab data reveals

Berlin logs 225 harsh events per 1,000 trips, Madrid 1,088 and Paris 1,191

DUBLIN, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Geotab Inc. ("Geotab"), a global leader in connected operations, video telematics and AI-powered insights, today published new findings from its European Urban Freight Efficiency Index on road safety, showing that the number of harsh driving events per trip varies more than fivefold across seven European capitals.

The analysis uses GPS-derived harsh acceleration, harsh braking and harsh cornering events from more than 130 million trips by Geotab-connected vehicles in 2025. Berlin records the fewest harsh events at 225 per 1,000 trips, roughly one event every four to five trips, followed by Dublin (315), Amsterdam (356), Rome (393) and London (462). Madrid (1,088) and Paris (1,191) sit far above the rest, at roughly one harsh event for every trip, with the gap between Berlin and Paris being 5.3 times, and between Berlin and Madrid 4.8 times.

What differs most from city to city is the kind of event. Harsh acceleration accounts for 79% of Paris events and 69% of Madrid events, while Berlin and London split more evenly between acceleration and braking. Amsterdam and Rome show the highest share of harsh cornering of any city (34% and 27%), although harsh braking is the largest event type in both (37% and 40%). An acceleration-heavy profile tends to respond to driver coaching and in-cab feedback, while a profile built on braking and cornering more often points to junction design and routing.