System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to preemptively modifying operation of a vehicle according to predicted acceleration inputs. In one embodiment, a method includes, in response to identifying that an environmental context of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle is located at a traffic stop and that a roadway on which the vehicle is traveling includes merging lanes beyond the traffic stop, determining an acceleration profile for the vehicle that indicates a predicted acceleration that is anticipated to be provided by a driver as a function of the environmental context when approaching the merging lanes. The method includes adjusting the operating parameters of the vehicle according to the acceleration profile to preemptively optimize the vehicle in anticipation of an acceleration input from the driver. The method includes controlling the vehicle to accelerate based, at least in part, on the operating parameters upon receiving the acceleration input.