An apparatus comprising: a first memory (3, 13); and processor that, in operation, performs operations including storing, in the first memory, an object occurrence map defining an occurrence area (103, 104a, 104b, 104c) where there is a possibility that an object appears; detecting, by an object detector, the object included in a captured image of a scene seen in a running direction of the vehicle, the captured image being taken by a camera of the vehicle; acquiring, by an running circumstance acquirer, a running circumstance around the vehicle; generating, by an occurrence likelihood map generator, a viewpoint-converted object occurrence map from the object occurrence map so as to be represented from the same viewpoint as that of the captured image, depending on the acquired running circumstance; superimposing, by a drive mode switcher, the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map on the captured image so as to form a superimposed image; determining, by the drive mode switcher, on the superimposed image whether a location of the object included in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map; switching, by the drive mode switcher, a vehicle drive mode from an automatic drive mode, in which the vehicle is automatically driven, to a manual drive mode, in which the vehicle is driven manually by a driver, so that a driver is controlling the driving of the vehicle in the switched manual drive mode, in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map, maintaining, by the drive mode switcher, the vehicle drive mode in the automatic drive mode in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is not outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map. a first memory (3, 13); and processor that, in operation, performs operations including storing, in the first memory, an object occurrence map defining an occurrence area (103, 104a, 104b, 104c) where there is a possibility that an object appears; detecting, by an object detector, the object included in a captured image of a scene seen in a running direction of the vehicle, the captured image being taken by a camera of the vehicle; acquiring, by an running circumstance acquirer, a running circumstance around the vehicle; generating, by an occurrence likelihood map generator, a viewpoint-converted object occurrence map from the object occurrence map so as to be represented from the same viewpoint as that of the captured image, depending on the acquired running circumstance; superimposing, by a drive mode switcher, the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map on the captured image so as to form a superimposed image; determining, by the drive mode switcher, on the superimposed image whether a location of the object included in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map; switching, by the drive mode switcher, a vehicle drive mode from an automatic drive mode, in which the vehicle is automatically driven, to a manual drive mode, in which the vehicle is driven manually by a driver, so that a driver is controlling the driving of the vehicle in the switched manual drive mode, in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map, maintaining, by the drive mode switcher, the vehicle drive mode in the automatic drive mode in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is not outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map. storing, in the first memory, an object occurrence map defining an occurrence area (103, 104a, 104b, 104c) where there is a possibility that an object appears; detecting, by an object detector, the object included in a captured image of a scene seen in a running direction of the vehicle, the captured image being taken by a camera of the vehicle; acquiring, by an running circumstance acquirer, a running circumstance around the vehicle; generating, by an occurrence likelihood map generator, a viewpoint-converted object occurrence map from the object occurrence map so as to be represented from the same viewpoint as that of the captured image, depending on the acquired running circumstance; superimposing, by a drive mode switcher, the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map on the captured image so as to form a superimposed image; determining, by the drive mode switcher, on the superimposed image whether a location of the object included in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map; switching, by the drive mode switcher, a vehicle drive mode from an automatic drive mode, in which the vehicle is automatically driven, to a manual drive mode, in which the vehicle is driven manually by a driver, so that a driver is controlling the driving of the vehicle in the switched manual drive mode, in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map, maintaining, by the drive mode switcher, the vehicle drive mode in the automatic drive mode in a case where it is determined that the location of the object detected in the captured image is not outside the occurrence area in the viewpoint-converted object occurrence map.