Testing predictions for autonomous vehicles

A system for controlling a first vehicle autonomously, the system comprising one or more processors configured to:

• plan to maneuver the first vehicle to autonomously complete an assertive action with respect to a second vehicle;
• predict that the second vehicle will take a particular responsive action based on the assertive action;
• maneuver the first vehicle towards completing the assertive action by initiating a movement towards completing the assertive action in a way that would allow the first vehicle to cancel completing the assertive action without causing a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and in order to indicate to the second vehicle or a driver of the second vehicle that the first vehicle is attempting to complete the assertive action;
• determine whether the second vehicle is taking the particular responsive action in response to the maneuvering;
• determine whether the first vehicle is able to take the assertive action;
• and
• when the first vehicle is determined to be able to take the assertive action, complete the assertive action by controlling the first vehicle autonomously using the determination of whether the second vehicle begins to take the particular responsive action.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method of controlling a first vehicle autonomously, the method comprising:

• planning, by one or more processors, to maneuver the first vehicle to autonomously complete an assertive action with respect to a second vehicle;
• predicting that the second vehicle will take a particular responsive action based on the the assertive action;
• maneuvering, by the one or more processors, the first vehicle towards completing the assertive action by initiating a movement towards completing the assertive action in a way that would allow the first vehicle to cancel completing the assertive action without causing a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and in order to indicate to the second vehicle or a driver of the second vehicle that the first vehicle is attempting to complete the assertive action;
• determining, by the one or more processors, whether the second vehicle is taking the particular responsive action in response to the maneuvering;
• determining whether the first vehicle is able to take the assertive action;
• and
• when the first vehicle is determined to be able to take the assertive action, completing the assertive action, by the one or more processors, by controlling the first vehicle autonomously using the determination of whether the second vehicle begins to take the particular responsive action.