Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

A vehicle control method causing a computer, comprising:

• recognizing a surrounding situation of a vehicle;
• and
• controlling one or both of steering and acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle on a basis of the surrounding situation,
• wherein, in response to determining, based on the surrounding situation, that the vehicle is traveling in a first lane and merges into a second lane from the first lane, and a section of the second lane before merging is determined to be downhill, increasing a speed or acceleration of the vehicle during merging with respect to a case where the section before merging is not determined to be downhill, wherein the first lane ultimately terminates at a defined future distance.

A non-transitory storage medium having a program stored therein, the program causing a computer to:

• recognize a surrounding situation of a vehicle;
• and
• control one or both of steering and acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle on a basis of the surrounding situation,
• wherein, in response to determining, based on the surrounding situation, that the vehicle is traveling in a first lane and merges into a second lane from the first lane, and a section of the second lane before merging is determined to be downhill, increasing a speed or acceleration of the vehicle during merging with respect to a case where the section before merging is not determined to be downhill, wherein the first lane ultimately terminates at a defined future distance.