A method for recording operational data in a motor vehicle in operation, wherein the operational data to be recorded are recorded by means of sensors located on the motor vehicle, wherein the sensors or their evaluation modules are connected in data-conducting manner with a memory unit via a common CAN bus, and wherein the operational data are recorded in the memory unit, wherein the operational data are recorded within a time interval of predefinable length, wherein the time interval is compiled from a first subinterval ΔT1 and a second subinterval ΔT2, wherein the first subinterval ΔT1 is recorded with a ring memory, which records the operational data continuously during operation and upon reaching its storage capacity overwrites the recording starting from the beginning, wherein the time interval is fixed at a temporally fixed point with a start command, wherein the first subinterval occurs before the fixed point and the second subinterval occurs after the fixed point, wherein at the start command the current memory content of the ring memory is copied to a separate memory as the first subinterval, wherein the memory content of the ring memory defines the length of the first subinterval and correspondingly the start time point of the time interval, wherein the operational data recorded from the fixed point until the end time point as the second subinterval are appended to the separate memory as a temporally linear data sequence, and wherein the operational data from the two subintervals are coupled temporally one after the other, wherein a linear data recording that forms the second subinterval is carried out as a real-time recording of the data exchanged via the CAN bus, wherein the operational data are recorded on the time axis within the entire time interval, characterized in that the end time point of the time interval is defined by a user preference, and the temporal resolution of the recording of the operational data is preset by a user preference, wherein a higher resolution enables more operational data per time interval to be recorded by the sensors and stored in memory. wherein the operational data are recorded within a time interval of predefinable length, wherein the time interval is compiled from a first subinterval ΔT1 and a second subinterval ΔT2, wherein the first subinterval ΔT1 is recorded with a ring memory, which records the operational data continuously during operation and upon reaching its storage capacity overwrites the recording starting from the beginning, wherein the time interval is fixed at a temporally fixed point with a start command, wherein the first subinterval occurs before the fixed point and the second subinterval occurs after the fixed point, wherein at the start command the current memory content of the ring memory is copied to a separate memory as the first subinterval, wherein the memory content of the ring memory defines the length of the first subinterval and correspondingly the start time point of the time interval, wherein the operational data recorded from the fixed point until the end time point as the second subinterval are appended to the separate memory as a temporally linear data sequence, and wherein the operational data from the two subintervals are coupled temporally one after the other, wherein a linear data recording that forms the second subinterval is carried out as a real-time recording of the data exchanged via the CAN bus, wherein the operational data are recorded on the time axis within the entire time interval, characterized in that the end time point of the time interval is defined by a user preference, and the temporal resolution of the recording of the operational data is preset by a user preference, wherein a higher resolution enables more operational data per time interval to be recorded by the sensors and stored in memory.