Method for automatically controlling a longitudinal movement of a vehicle, an environment of the vehicle and objects located in said environment being detected on the basis of recorded signals from an environmental sensor system, and a state of a traffic light system (3, 4) at a traffic light-controlled intersection being able to be determined in order for the vehicle to pass the intersection of the traffic light system (3, 4) to be taken into account by the vehicle, characterized in that - when the vehicle approaches the intersection, it is identified that a view of the environmental sensor system to the traffic light system (3, 4) may be obscured by a vehicle in front, and when it is identified that the view of the environmental sensor system to the traffic light system (3, 4) may be obscured by the vehicle in front, a minimum distance (xv) of the vehicle to the vehicle in front is determined depending on a current position of the vehicle relative to the traffic light system (3, 4) and relative to the vehicle in front, which minimum distance is used as the basis for the automatic control of the longitudinal movement and is not undercut by the vehicle, characterized in that a sensor shadow cast by the vehicle in front for the environmental sensor system of the vehicle is determined, a nearest possible position of a traffic light system being further ascertained as a hypothesis in the determined sensor shadow, and red being assumed as the state of the traffic light system at the nearest possible position, the vehicle determining a comfortable stopping distance according to the hypothesis depending on its current driving speed, and this being specified as a minimum distance (xa) to the hypothetical nearest traffic light system in relation to the longitudinal movement, in addition to the minimum distance (xv) to the vehicle in front. - when the vehicle approaches the intersection, it is identified that a view of the environmental sensor system to the traffic light system (3, 4) may be obscured by a vehicle in front, and when it is identified that the view of the environmental sensor system to the traffic light system (3, 4) may be obscured by the vehicle in front, a minimum distance (xv) of the vehicle to the vehicle in front is determined depending on a current position of the vehicle relative to the traffic light system (3, 4) and relative to the vehicle in front, which minimum distance is used as the basis for the automatic control of the longitudinal movement and is not undercut by the vehicle, characterized in that a sensor shadow cast by the vehicle in front for the environmental sensor system of the vehicle is determined, a nearest possible position of a traffic light system being further ascertained as a hypothesis in the determined sensor shadow, and red being assumed as the state of the traffic light system at the nearest possible position, the vehicle determining a comfortable stopping distance according to the hypothesis depending on its current driving speed, and this being specified as a minimum distance (xa) to the hypothetical nearest traffic light system in relation to the longitudinal movement, in addition to the minimum distance (xv) to the vehicle in front. when it is identified that the view of the environmental sensor system to the traffic light system (3, 4) may be obscured by the vehicle in front, a minimum distance (xv) of the vehicle to the vehicle in front is determined depending on a current position of the vehicle relative to the traffic light system (3, 4) and relative to the vehicle in front, which minimum distance is used as the basis for the automatic control of the longitudinal movement and is not undercut by the vehicle, characterized in that a sensor shadow cast by the vehicle in front for the environmental sensor system of the vehicle is determined, a nearest possible position of a traffic light system being further ascertained as a hypothesis in the determined sensor shadow, and red being assumed as the state of the traffic light system at the nearest possible position, the vehicle determining a comfortable stopping distance according to the hypothesis depending on its current driving speed, and this being specified as a minimum distance (xa) to the hypothetical nearest traffic light system in relation to the longitudinal movement, in addition to the minimum distance (xv) to the vehicle in front.