Mode management for autonomous vehicles

A method of controlling transitions between driving modes of an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle having a first driving mode that is a manual driving mode, a second driving mode that is an autonomous driving mode where a driver is expected to be present to take control of the vehicle, and a third driving mode where a driver is not expected to be present to take control of the vehicle, the method comprising:

• while operating in the second driving mode, receiving, by one or more computing devices, a request to transition to the first driving mode;
• in response to the request, transitioning, by the one or more computing devices, to the first driving mode;
• and
• after transitioning to the first driving mode, preventing, by the one or more computing devices, a transition from the first driving mode to the second driving mode or the third driving mode until a predetermined duration has passed even when input is received at one or more of a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator during the predetermined duration.