A vehicle control apparatus includes a collision time calculation section configured to calculate a time-to-collision; an activation region setting section configured to set an activation region to an area present ahead of and in the travelling direction of an own vehicle, the activation region having a predetermined width in a lateral direction that is orthogonal to a path of the own vehicle; a timing setting section configured to set timing activating a safety device; a determination region setting section configured to set a determination region to an area present diagonally ahead of and in the travelling direction of the own vehicle, the determination region having a predetermined width in the lateral direction; a timer section configured to measure a time for which a target stays in the determination region; a correction section configured to perform, in a case where the time measured by the timer section is long, a process for decreasing the width of the activation region and a process for decreasing activation timing; and an activation determination section configured to activate the safety device in a case where a position of the target is in the activation region and the time-to-collision falls below the activation timing.