Method for recording a traffic situation when a vehicle drives past a recording device, the method comprising the following steps: - reading in at least one first image which depicts the vehicle at a first point in time at a first position in a region surrounding the recording device and a second image which displays the vehicle at a second point in time at a second position in the region surrounding the recording device; - detecting a speed of the vehicle at the first and/or second point in time and/or at a time interval between the first and/or the second point in time; and - storing the first image and the second image, the first and second points in time and/or a time period between the first and the second point in time, and the speed of the vehicle as a traffic situation data record in order to record the traffic situation, the first and second points in time and/or the time period between the first and the second point in time then being added to the traffic situation data record if the second image has not been captured at a second point in time that is after a predefined time period between the first and the second point in time, characterized in that in the storing step, the first image and the second image are stored so as to be superimposed on one another in such a way that in the traffic situation data record a single superposition image is generated in which the vehicle is depicted at the first point in time at the first position and at the second point in time at the second position, and a model type of the vehicle is determined and stored in the traffic situation data record, the model type being determined using a vehicle database. - reading in at least one first image which depicts the vehicle at a first point in time at a first position in a region surrounding the recording device and a second image which displays the vehicle at a second point in time at a second position in the region surrounding the recording device; - detecting a speed of the vehicle at the first and/or second point in time and/or at a time interval between the first and/or the second point in time; and - storing the first image and the second image, the first and second points in time and/or a time period between the first and the second point in time, and the speed of the vehicle as a traffic situation data record in order to record the traffic situation, the first and second points in time and/or the time period between the first and the second point in time then being added to the traffic situation data record if the second image has not been captured at a second point in time that is after a predefined time period between the first and the second point in time, characterized in that in the storing step, the first image and the second image are stored so as to be superimposed on one another in such a way that in the traffic situation data record a single superposition image is generated in which the vehicle is depicted at the first point in time at the first position and at the second point in time at the second position, and a model type of the vehicle is determined and stored in the traffic situation data record, the model type being determined using a vehicle database.