Patent ID: 6873899

Claim:
A drive control apparatus for a vehicle comprising: an object detecting device for detecting objects in front of the vehicle, which is installed in the vehicle; a running track calculation device for calculating a running track along which the vehicle runs; a preceding vehicle detecting device for detecting a preceding vehicle which the vehicle is to follow among the objects depending on signals output from the object detecting device and from the running track calculation device; a vehicle control device for controlling a speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle runs following the preceding vehicle; a preceding vehicle information output device for informing a driver of the vehicle of information about the preceding vehicle obtained by the object detecting device; and a control mode selecting device for selecting one of a first control mode in which the vehicle control device is allowed to execute a follow-up control operation, and the preceding vehicle information output device is allowed to output information about the preceding vehicle, and a second control mode in which the vehicle control device is not allowed to execute a follow-up control operation, and the preceding vehicle information output device is allowed to output information about the preceding vehicle.