1. A method for three-dimensional shape estimation using constrained disparity propagation, the method comprising an act of causing a processor to perform operations of extracting image features, wherein the operations of extracting image features comprises the acts of: receiving a stereoscopic pair of images of an area occupied by at least one object; detecting pattern regions and non-pattern regions within each of the pair of images using a texture filter; generating an initial estimate of spatial disparities between the pattern regions within each of the pair of images; using the initial estimate to generate a subsequent estimate of the spatial disparities between the non-pattern regions based on the spatial disparities between the pattern regions using disparity constraints; iteratively using the subsequent estimate as the initial estimate in the act of using the initial estimate to generate a subsequent estimate in order to generate further subsequent estimates of the spatial disparities between the non-pattern regions based on the spatial disparities between the pattern regions using the disparity constraints until there is no change between the results of subsequent iterations, thereby generating a final estimate of the spatial disparities; processing the final estimate to provide signals, wherein the signals comprise enable and disable signals of a vehicle; generating a disparity map of the area occupied by at least one object from the final estimate of the three-dimensional shape; and processing the disparity map with at least one classification algorithm to produce object class confidence data, said classification algorithm is selected from the group consisting of a trained C5 decision tree, a trained Nonlinear Discriminant Analysis network, and a trained Fuzzy Aggregation Network.