VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD AND VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

A vehicle control method causing a controller to execute: processing of determining whether or not a first other vehicle (5) traveling on a second lane (2b), the second lane (2b) merging with a first lane (2a) on which an own vehicle (1) travels in front of the own vehicle (1), is traveling diagonally in front of the own vehicle (1); and processing of, when determining that the first other vehicle (5) is traveling diagonally in front of the own vehicle (1), controlling vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that a front-rear direction distance from a rear-end position of the first other vehicle (5) to a front-end position of the own vehicle (1) in a front-rear direction of the first lane is shorter than a first target inter-vehicle distance (L2) in vehicle speed control to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle (1) on the first lane (2a).