Patent ID: 8473144

Claim:
A method comprising: identifying, by a computing device, an object on or proximate to a road on which a vehicle is travelling; estimating, based on characteristics of the vehicle and respective characteristics of the object, an interval of time during which the vehicle will be laterally adjacent to the object, wherein the characteristics of the vehicle include a speed and a direction of motion of the vehicle, and wherein the respective characteristics of the object include a respective speed and a respective direction of motion of the object; based on the characteristics of the vehicle, estimating one or more longitudinal positions of the vehicle on the road during the interval of time; determining, based on the respective characteristics of the object, a lateral distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the object during the interval of time at the one or more longitudinal positions of the vehicle; and providing, using the computing device, instructions to control the vehicle based on the lateral distance.