Vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and storage medium

A vehicle control device comprising:

• a recognizer configured to recognize a vicinity of a vehicle;
• a setter configured to set a risk index for a traffic participant recognized by the recognizer;
• and
• a controller configured to control a vehicle-mounted instrument of the vehicle based on the risk index which is set by the setter,
• wherein the setter sets the risk index for a position at which the traffic participant will be present in the future based on ease of entry of the traffic participant from a sidewalk to a roadway adjacent to the sidewalk in a region that the traffic participant traveling on the sidewalk will enter in the future, and increases the risk index to be set on the roadway side as there is a greater tendency for the traffic participant to enter the roadway,
• wherein, in a case where the traffic participant and an another traffic participant are on the sidewalk and the another traffic participant is in front of the traffic participant, and at least the risk index is less than a threshold, the setter sets a first specific region corresponding to the risk index around a first position corresponding to the traffic participant,
• in a case where the traffic participant and an another traffic participant are on the sidewalk and the another traffic participant is in front of the traffic participant, and at least the risk index is equal or greater than a threshold, the setter sets a second specific region corresponding to the risk index around a second position corresponding to the traffic participant,
• the second specific region is larger than the first region, the second position is in which altering the first position to an opposite direction of a road side, and
• the first position and the second position are set between:
• a position of the traffic participant, and
• the another traffic participant in a longitudinal direction of the sidewalk or a travelling direction of the traffic participant.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program to be executed by a computer to at least:

• recognize a vicinity of a vehicle;
• set a risk index for a recognized traffic participant;
• control a vehicle-mounted instrument of the vehicle based on the risk index;
• and
• set the risk index for a position at which the traffic participant will be present in the future based on ease of entry of the traffic participant from a sidewalk to a roadway adjacent to the sidewalk in a region that the traffic participant traveling on the sidewalk will enter in the future, and increase the risk index to be set on the roadway side as there is a greater tendency for the traffic participant to enter the roadway,
• wherein, in a case where the traffic participant and an another traffic participant are on the sidewalk and the another traffic participant is in front of the traffic participant, and at least the risk index is less than a threshold, set a first specific region corresponding to the risk index around a first position corresponding to the traffic participant,
• in a case where the traffic participant and an another traffic participant are on the sidewalk and the another traffic participant is in front of the traffic participant, and at least the risk index is equal or greater than a threshold, set a second specific region corresponding to the risk index around a second position corresponding to the traffic participant,
• the second specific region is larger than the first region, the second position is in which altering the first position to an opposite direction of a road side, and
• the first position and the second position are set between:
• a position of the traffic participant, and
• the another traffic participant in a longitudinal direction of the sidewalk or a travelling direction of the traffic participant.