The preceding vehicle identifying apparatus calculates an integrated probability of existence of a curved road ahead of an own vehicle based on at least two of the curvature of the curved road, the track of a vehicle running ahead of the own vehicle and the own vehicle' having entered the curved road. The preceding vehicle identifying apparatus further calculates an own-vehicle lane probability which is a probability that the vehicle is running in the same lane as an own-vehicle lane in which the own vehicle is running based on the distance between a predicted running line of the own vehicle and the track of the vehicle running ahead of the own vehicle, and compensates the calculated own-vehicle lane probability based on the integrated probability.