Driving assistance apparatus

A driving assistance apparatus (100) mountable on a vehicle (VC), comprising:

• a vehicle information obtainer (11) configured to obtain vehicle information including a speed of the vehicle and a turning radius of the vehicle using a first sensor (40) mounted on the vehicle;
• an object information obtainer (12) configured to obtain object information about a target object (TG) using a second sensor (30) mounted on the vehicle;
• a determiner (14) configured to analyze the speed, the turning radius, and the object information to determine whether the vehicle is in a situation in which the vehicle is intended to merge into a curved road (RB), and whether the target object traveling on the curved road is attempting to avoid the vehicle;
• and
• a braking controller (15) configured to suppress braking of the vehicle, the braking being performed to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the target object, when the determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the situation in which the vehicle is intended to merge into the curved road and that the target object on the curved road is attempting to avoid the vehicle.