Vehicle control device

A vehicle control device that performs control for causing a vehicle to travel along a target trajectory at a target vehicle speed, the vehicle control device comprising at least one processor configured to:

• determine whether or not the vehicle is in a deviated state in which the vehicle deviates from the target trajectory;
• calculate, when the vehicle is determined to be in the deviated state, a suppression amount by which the target vehicle speed is decreased based on a deviation amount indicating the deviated state;
• maintain a hold value of the suppression amount at a maximum value of the suppression amount and suppress the target vehicle speed using the hold value of the suppression amount;
• and
• decrease the hold value of the suppression amount at a predetermined speed when the vehicle returns from the deviated state to the target trajectory and a preset release condition is satisfied,
• wherein, when it is determined that the vehicle is in the deviated state again while the hold value of the suppression amount is decreased at a predetermined speed, the at least one processor is configured to stop a gradual decrease of the hold value of the suppression amount, and maintain the hold value of the suppression amount at the maximum value of the suppression amount.