Vehicle control apparatus

A vehicle control apparatus that, when a collision risk, which represents a risk of a vehicle colliding with an object, is equal to or greater than a threshold risk, performs vehicle control to change a traveling state of the vehicle according to a control pattern selected from among a plurality of control patterns so as to reduce the collision risk,

• wherein the vehicle control apparatus is configured to:
• estimate, for each of the control patterns,
• a first occupant damage representing damage to an occupant caused by a change in the traveling state during a vehicle control period from when the vehicle control is executed according to the control pattern until the vehicle collides with a collision object,
• a second occupant damage representing damage to the occupant at a collision time when the vehicle collides with the collision object as a result of executing the vehicle control according to the control pattern, and
• an object damage representing damage to the collision object at the collision time;
• and
• execute the vehicle control according to the control pattern that minimizes a total damage acquired based on the first occupant damage, the second occupant damage, and the object damage.