Tracking and Prediction Workflow: Detect → Associate → Track → Predict → Assess Risk
Project DRIVE · End-to-end perception reasoning
How isolated detections become time-aware objects and then support risk assessment.
Detection answers, “What measurements are present now?” Association asks which object each measurement belongs to. Tracking estimates object state over time. Prediction projects possible future motion. Risk assessment evaluates whether those projected paths may conflict with the ego vehicle.
Uncertainty flows through the pipeline
Each stage depends on the previous stage and should preserve uncertainty. A false detection can create a false track; a wrong association can corrupt velocity; a poor motion model can distort prediction; and an overconfident prediction can mislead risk logic.
Risk is contextual
Time to collision can be useful when relative motion assumptions are appropriate, but it is not a universal risk score. Lane geometry, braking capability, cut-in behavior, object class, driver state, road condition, and feature limits can all affect the decision.
References
This independent educational article is not an OEM procedure, diagnosis, repair instruction, calibration specification, legal requirement, or certification of system performance. Vehicle-specific manufacturer information and qualified professional judgment control the actual service decision. Repository publication does not by itself mean peer review or endorsement.
Sainath Reddy Puchakayala
Automotive Engineer, ASE L4-Certified ADAS Professional, and Licensed Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Inspector based in Lowell, Massachusetts. His work connects vehicle diagnostics, electronics, hybrid and EV technology, inspection practice, and systems-level engineering. He independently developed Project VISION to advance careful ADAS awareness, documentation, communication, and appropriate referral without replacing vehicle-specific OEM procedures.