A method for detecting a state of a rear vehicle light, in which a camera system integrated into a vehicle generates an image of a surrounding area in front of the vehicle, and an evaluation unit connected to the camera system detects at least one vehicle present in the image, defines an image region of the image associated with this vehicle and divides the image region into sub-regions (12, 13, 14) that include at least one left sub-region and one right sub-region, wherein a respective segmentation of the sub-regions (12, 13, 14) into image segments is carried out by means of the evaluation unit, based on brightness values of pixels present in these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), by defining, in each of these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), rows of pixels present in these sub-regions (12, 13, 14) and breaking down the rows, based on brightness values of these pixels, into row segments of at least substantially identical brightness values, wherein the image segments are generated by combining row segments of adjoining rows which are in contact with one another, wherein furthermore at least one brightest image segment is extracted from each of these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), and a check of the extracted image segments is carried out as to whether these can be associated with a rear vehicle light in a switched-on state, wherein the evaluation unit emits a signal associated with the state thus established if this check was positive, wherein the method allows detecting a switched-on turn signal and/or a switched-on hazard warning light, wherein a chronological progression of the brightness values in the image segments extracted from the left sub-region and the right sub-region is detected for the check of the extracted image segments and is examined for temporal periodicity, wherein the signal is emitted when a periodicity having a frequency within a predefined frequency range is established. an evaluation unit connected to the camera system detects at least one vehicle present in the image, defines an image region of the image associated with this vehicle and divides the image region into sub-regions (12, 13, 14) that include at least one left sub-region and one right sub-region, wherein a respective segmentation of the sub-regions (12, 13, 14) into image segments is carried out by means of the evaluation unit, based on brightness values of pixels present in these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), by defining, in each of these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), rows of pixels present in these sub-regions (12, 13, 14) and breaking down the rows, based on brightness values of these pixels, into row segments of at least substantially identical brightness values, wherein the image segments are generated by combining row segments of adjoining rows which are in contact with one another, wherein furthermore at least one brightest image segment is extracted from each of these sub-regions (12, 13, 14), and a check of the extracted image segments is carried out as to whether these can be associated with a rear vehicle light in a switched-on state, wherein the evaluation unit emits a signal associated with the state thus established if this check was positive, wherein the method allows detecting a switched-on turn signal and/or a switched-on hazard warning light, wherein a chronological progression of the brightness values in the image segments extracted from the left sub-region and the right sub-region is detected for the check of the extracted image segments and is examined for temporal periodicity, wherein the signal is emitted when a periodicity having a frequency within a predefined frequency range is established.