Parisian motorists are five times more likely to accelerate, brake or corner abruptly than drivers in Berlin, according to a massive European study by fleet management specialist Geotab.

But Belgium is missing from the ranking. And while Brussels may not be Paris, its congestion and accident figures offer little reason for complacency.

Driving around the Arc de Triomphe or negotiating Paris’s notoriously congested périphérique has never been for the faint-hearted. Now Canadian telematics specialist Geotab has put figures on the French capital’s reputation for aggressive driving.

Analyzing more than 130 million journeys made by connected vehicles in seven European capitals during 2025, Geotab recorded 1,191 abrupt driving maneuvers per 1,000 trips in Paris. That compares with just 225 in Berlin, a staggering 5.3-fold difference.

Madrid comes a close second with 1,088 events, followed at a considerable distance by London (462), Rome (393), Amsterdam (356) and Dublin (315).

Heavy right foot

What distinguishes Paris is not so much sudden braking or reckless cornering, but acceleration. Almost 79% of its harsh driving events involve drivers putting their foot down abruptly. In Madrid, that proportion is 69%.

Geotab points to the notorious stop-and-go congestion in Paris, known locally as circulation en accordéon. Drivers accelerate forcefully, only to slam on the brakes moments later.

Rome presents an interesting contrast. Despite its chaotic reputation and heavy congestion, the Italian capital records barely a third as many harsh maneuvers as Paris. Traffic tends to crawl more continuously rather than repeatedly accelerating and stopping.

Amsterdam performs relatively well, although sharp cornering represents 34% of its harsh events. Congested motorway junctions around Schiphol are particular hotspots.

Berlin leads, Madrid struggles

Geotab also examined overall urban traffic efficiency by combining congestion, journey predictability, and wasted fuel.

Berlin leads with 61 points out of 100, narrowly ahead of Amsterdam (59). Dublin (49) and Rome (48) occupy the middle ground, while Paris (37), London (29) and Madrid (25) trail behind.

Interestingly, London’s relatively restrained driving behavior contrasts with its poor traffic efficiency. Congestion does not automatically translate into aggressive driving.

The consequences extend beyond road safety. Repeated acceleration and braking increase fuel consumption, emissions and vehicle wear. Delivery fleets also lose considerable amounts of time and fuel while idling.

And what about Brussels?

Unfortunately, Geotab did not include Brussels or any other Belgian city. However, figures from TomTom’s 2025 Traffic Index provide a revealing comparison.

Antwerp is Belgium’s most congested city, with an average congestion level of 49.5%, ahead of Brussels (46.2%). Yet Brussels commuters lose considerably more time in rush-hour traffic: 146 hours annually, compared with 92 in Antwerp.

Ghent follows with 81 hours lost, ahead of Namur (71), Leuven and Liège (54 each), and Bruges (51). At the other end of the Belgian ranking, drivers lose 29 hours in Mons, 33 in Charleroi and 35 in Kortrijk.

Brussels motorists therefore sacrifice more than six entire days a year to rush-hour delays. An average ten-kilometer journey takes almost 33 minutes, rising to nearly 44 minutes during the evening peak.

Belgium’s accident figures tell another story

Official Statbel figures reinforce the picture of Brussels as a particularly challenging traffic environment. In 2025, the capital recorded 112 injury accidents per 100 kilometers of road, compared with 21 in Flanders and just 11 in Wallonia.

Among Belgian provinces, Antwerp recorded the highest density, with 30 accidents per 100 kilometers, followed by East Flanders (24). Luxembourg province recorded just four.

Belgium registered 36,968 injury accidents and 464 road deaths last year. Although fatalities fell slightly nationwide, Brussels saw its death toll almost double, from 11 in 2024 to 21 in 2025.

These figures require caution. Congestion, accidents per kilometer of road, and abrupt driving maneuvers measure different things. Higher traffic density naturally increases the number of accidents recorded on a given stretch of road. Nor does Geotab’s fleet-based analysis prove that all Parisian motorists are inherently more dangerous.

Nevertheless, the findings raise an intriguing question: would Brussels drivers behave more like their Parisian neighbors or their more disciplined counterparts in Berlin? For now, Geotab’s European ranking leaves that question unanswered.