A load drive control apparatus comprises a drive control circuit and a mode switchover circuit. The drive control circuit, which operates under a driving power, for driving/controlling a load on a control signal. The drive/control of the load includes an overheat protection control with a hysteresis characteristic carried out on a temperature of a component of the drive control circuit and/or the load. The overheat protection control involves a drive-limiting operation to stop a drive of the load. The mode switchover circuit switches over the drive control circuit between a normal mode and a stand-by mode responsively to the control signal. The stand-by mode is less in driving power consumption than the normal mode. The stop of the drive of the load is maintained during the drive-limiting operation whatever the control signal indicates, as long as the temperature is higher than a lower limit of the hysteresis characteristic.