PRODUCT

Harsh Braking Data for Traffic Safety

Real-world driving data for smarter traffic safety decisions.

Spot High-Risk Zones Before Accidents Happen

Harsh Braking, developed by NIRA Dynamics, is a traffic safety data product that turns vehicle deceleration into actionable traffic safety insights. By harnessing data from millions of connected vehicles across the Volkswagen Group (including Audi, VW, Skoda, and SEAT), Harsh Braking identifies where and when sudden stops occur, helping you detect problem areas before accidents happen.

Why Wait for Accidents to Occur When You Can Prevent Them?

With Harsh Braking data from NIRA Dynamics, you can uncover hidden traffic risks that traditional accident statistics miss. By analyzing real-world braking behavior from millions of connected vehicles, we help you identify road segments where drivers are frequently forced to stop suddenly — a strong indicator of unsafe conditions. These high-risk zones often precede actual crashes and can signal poor visibility, confusing intersections, slippery surfaces, or ineffective signage. Instead of reacting to past incidents, you can now act on predictive insights and prioritize improvements where they’re needed most — before accidents happen.

What Is Harsh Braking?

Harsh braking refers to rapid deceleration, typically over 4 m/s, triggered by sudden obstacles, unexpected traffic behavior, or dangerous road conditions. These moments are detected in real time and securely uploaded to the NIRA Cloud. Want even sharper thresholds? We offer custom tuning – like 5 m/s– based on your needs.

Who Benefits from Harsh Braking Data?

Harsh Braking insights are a game-changer for anyone invested in road safety and traffic performance:

Traffic Authorities – Identify high-risk road segments and prioritize safety upgrades.
Urban Planners – Design smarter streets based on actual driving behavior.
Mobility & Automotive Brands – Enhance ADAS and vehicle safety systems.
Insurance Providers – Understand risk profiles and refine driver scoring.

Use Cases: When Harsh Braking Data Makes a Difference

✅ Road Safety Hotspots: Pinpoint where harsh braking happens most and take proactive action – from better signage to improved surface conditions.
✅ Infrastructure Planning: Determine where to place speed bumps, adjust signals, or resurface roads based on actual incident patterns.
✅ Collision Prevention: Reveal behavioral trends that signal high-risk zones and stop accidents before they start.
✅ Insurance Innovation: Support fair pricing models with behavioral insights based on consistent, large-scale data.

What’s in the Data?

Harsh Braking events are collected with high precision, using data sampled every 5 meters by in-vehicle sensors. Each event includes:

event_id: Unique identifier
location_id: Repeating event clusters
Time data: Year, weekday, hour (no exact dates)
Initial Speed: Grouped in 20 km/h intervals

Max deceleration: Measured in m/s
Passage estimates: Vehicle count through location
Event geometry: Start, max, and end positions with movement direction (WGS84)

Download Sample Data

Download our sample data to explore its functionality.

Easy Access to High-Value Traffic Safety Insights

Accessing Harsh Braking data is designed to be both flexible and efficient. You can receive the data as a .CSV export, tailored to your preferred timeframes and geographic regions, making it easy to integrate into your own analysis tools or reporting systems. Need data for a specific area? Simply provide a .shp file, and we’ll deliver geofenced data that aligns with your defined boundaries. For even faster integration, a real-time API is currently under development,designed to meet growing market demands for continuous, up-to-date traffic safety information. All Harsh Braking data is stored with hourly resolution and maintained for at least five years, ensuring a rich historical perspective. The dataset is refreshed monthly to provide timely, actionable insights.

Why Harsh Braking Stands Out

With data sourced from millions of connected vehicles across the Volkswagen Group, Harsh Braking offers a unique blend of scale, precision, and reliability. Designed with data privacy in mind and built on cutting-edge vehicle analytics, it provides deep insights into real-world traffic behavior — without compromising user confidentiality.

Whether you're planning safer roads, optimizing vehicle features, or improving driver performance, Harsh Braking gives you the tools to make evidence-based decisions that reduce risk and save lives.

Scalable across large networks
Backed by real-world driving data
Privacy-first and regulation-ready
Proven value in traffic safety and mobility innovation