A driving assist apparatus comprises a driver monitor sensor which detects a state of a driver of an own vehicle installed with the driving assist apparatus. The apparatus determines whether the driver is in a drowsy state, based on the state of the driver detected by the driver monitor sensor. The apparatus determines that a light collision occurs when a light collision determination condition that at least one collision index value representing a level of a collision of the own vehicle is larger than a light collision determination threshold at which an airbag is not developed, is satisfied. The apparatus executes a secondary collision damage mitigation control to apply a braking force to the own vehicle or limit a driving force applied to the own vehicle when determining that the driver is in the drowsy state, and the light collision occurs.

Methods and systems for monitoring use and determining risks associated with operation of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, operating data may be recorded during operation of the vehicle. This may include information regarding the vehicle, the vehicle environment, use of the autonomous operation features, and/or control decisions made by the features. The control decisions may include actions the feature would have taken to control the vehicle, but which were not taken because a vehicle operator was controlling the relevant aspect of vehicle operation at the time. The operating data may be recorded in a log, which may then be used to determine risk levels associated with vehicle operation based upon risk levels associated with the autonomous operation features. The risk levels may further be used to adjust an insurance policy associated with the vehicle.

In system and methods for loss mitigation, accident data associated with a vehicle accident involving a driver may be collected. The accident data may be analyzed, and a likely severity of the vehicle accident may be determined based upon the analysis of the accident data. A communication related to emergency assistance or an emergency assistance recommendation may be generated based upon the determined likely severity of the vehicle accident, and transmitted, via wireless communication, from one or more remote servers to a mobile device associated with the driver. A wireless communication from the driver indicating approval or modification of the emergency assistance or emergency assistance recommendation may be received. A third party may be notified, via a communication sent from the remote server(s), of requested emergency assistance as approved or modified by the driver. An estimated insurance claim may also be generated based upon vehicle accident likely severity.

A vehicle control device that includes: an airbag device including an airbag, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant; and a controller that, after the airbag device has been actuated, executes a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled to drive the vehicle to take refuge at a road shoulder.

A vehicle includes an engine, an automatic transmission, a second clutch for engine disconnection, a rotating electric machine, a first clutch for rotating electric machine separation, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit switches the first clutch from a release state to an engagement state in a case where a collision of the vehicle occurs, the first clutch is in the release state, and a rotation speed of the rotating electric machine is higher than an input shaft rotation speed of the automatic transmission. In a case where the collision of the vehicle occurs, the first clutch is in the release state, and the rotation speed of the rotating electric machine is lower than the input shaft rotation speed of the automatic transmission, the first clutch is maintained in the release state.

A sensor abnormality detection device includes a first sensor that detects a situation of a first region at a periphery of an own vehicle; a second sensor that detects a situation of a second region, which is a region different from the first region and includes an overlapping region that overlaps a part of the first region; a sensor abnormality determination means that determines abnormality of the first sensor and the second sensor; and a collision detection means that detects collision of the own vehicle to an object; wherein the sensor abnormality determination means determines that at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor has abnormality when the first region and the second region do not overlap in the overlapping region after the collision is detected.

An emergency reporting device for a vehicle includes an emergency detector and a communicator. The emergency detector is configured to detect or estimate an emergency including a collision of the vehicle. The communicator is configured to, when the emergency of the vehicle is detected or estimated, transmit information related to the emergency to outside so that a succeeding vehicle receives the information related to the emergency. The communicator is configured to, after the information related to the emergency is transmitted, receive acknowledgment information from the succeeding vehicle about reception of the information related to the emergency.

A vehicle control apparatus that is mounted in a vehicle issues a warning to a driver of the vehicle to stop the vehicle in a case where the collision has occurred between the vehicle and an object. The vehicle control apparatus stops the vehicle regardless of an operation by the driver after issuing the warning to the driver, in a case where the vehicle is not detected to be stopped. Thus, while giving a priority on prompting the driver to voluntarily stop the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the driver from fleeing a scene of the accident or the like.

A method and a device for avoiding a possible subsequent collision and for reducing the accident consequences of a collision, in which after a first collision of the vehicle with a further road user has taken place, an automatic braking intervention by a vehicle safety system is released according to a braking model by ascertaining vehicle data from the handling of the host vehicle, buffering the vehicle data ascertained in a memory, inferring the category of the road being traveled on at the moment from the buffered vehicle data, determining an initial distance as a function of the road category determined, and ascertaining the condition for releasing the brake using this initial distance.

In systems and methods for facilitating fault determination, accident data associated with a vehicle accident involving a driver may be collected. The accident data may include vehicle telematics and/or other data, and/or the driver may be associated with an insurance policy. The accident data may analyzed and, based upon the analysis of the accident data, fault (or lack thereof) of the driver, other drivers, road or weather conditions, construction, or other external factors or environment conditions for the vehicle accident may be determined. The determined fault may be used to handle an insurance claim associated with the vehicle accident, and to adjust, generate or update one or more insurance-related items, including (i) parameters of the insurance policy; (ii) a premium; (iii) a rate; (iv) a discount; or (v) a reward. As such, drivers not at a fault for an accident may realize insurance-cost savings and/or may not be unfairly penalized.