A control apparatus for a steering mechanism (17, 18, 19, 21L, 21 R, 22), comprising: an instructed drive amount detection unit that is adapted to detect an instructed drive amount, e.g. a depression amount of an accelerator pedal, provided by a drive control member, e.g. the accelerator pedal, that is adapted to provide an instruction on a drive amount of a drive actuator for driving a drive wheel, the instructed drive amount detection unit being adapted to output a signal (a) that indicates the instructed drive amount; a steered system control unit that is adapted to control a steered system actuator for steering a steered wheel in response to an operation of a steering member; characterized in that the control apparatus further comprises: a shift operation detection unit that is adapted to detect an operation of a shift lever that is adapted to switch movement of a vehicle between forward movement and backward movement, and that is adapted to output a forward-backward switching signal (s) that indicates that the movement of the vehicle is switched between forward movement and backward movement; and a drive current control unit that is adapted to set, when the instructed drive amount (a) is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, a drive current (Im*) for the steered system actuator to a value smaller than a normal drive current within a predetermined time period that starts upon reception of the forward-backward switching signal (s). an instructed drive amount detection unit that is adapted to detect an instructed drive amount, e.g. a depression amount of an accelerator pedal, provided by a drive control member, e.g. the accelerator pedal, that is adapted to provide an instruction on a drive amount of a drive actuator for driving a drive wheel, the instructed drive amount detection unit being adapted to output a signal (a) that indicates the instructed drive amount; a steered system control unit that is adapted to control a steered system actuator for steering a steered wheel in response to an operation of a steering member; characterized in that the control apparatus further comprises: a shift operation detection unit that is adapted to detect an operation of a shift lever that is adapted to switch movement of a vehicle between forward movement and backward movement, and that is adapted to output a forward-backward switching signal (s) that indicates that the movement of the vehicle is switched between forward movement and backward movement; and a drive current control unit that is adapted to set, when the instructed drive amount (a) is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, a drive current (Im*) for the steered system actuator to a value smaller than a normal drive current within a predetermined time period that starts upon reception of the forward-backward switching signal (s). a shift operation detection unit that is adapted to detect an operation of a shift lever that is adapted to switch movement of a vehicle between forward movement and backward movement, and that is adapted to output a forward-backward switching signal (s) that indicates that the movement of the vehicle is switched between forward movement and backward movement; and a drive current control unit that is adapted to set, when the instructed drive amount (a) is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, a drive current (Im*) for the steered system actuator to a value smaller than a normal drive current within a predetermined time period that starts upon reception of the forward-backward switching signal (s).