Method for tracking a distant target vehicle in an area surrounding a motor vehicle by means of a collision detection device of the motor vehicle for detecting an impending collision with the target vehicle by fusing radar sensor data from a first surroundings sensor designed as a radar sensor with sensor data from a second surroundings sensor of the collision detection device, wherein the radar sensor and the second surroundings sensor each have capture ranges which overlap in such a way that at least one section of the target vehicle is captured by both surroundings sensors , and wherein the method comprises the following steps: - providing radar sensor data and sensor data relating to the target vehicle by means of the radar sensor and the second surroundings sensor , wherein radar reflection points are derived from the radar sensor data and determine a position determined by a distance and an azimuth angle and a Doppler speed of points on the target vehicle , - identifying a wheel of the target vehicle from the radar reflection points, - providing first wheel capture data based on the wheel identified from the radar reflection points, - identifying a wheel of the target vehicle from the sensor data from the second surroundings sensor and providing second wheel capture data based on the wheel identified from the sensor data, - merging the first wheel capture data and the second wheel capture data, and - determining a parameter of the target vehicle based on the merged first and second wheel capture data, characterized in that the identification of a wheel comprises placing in each case a two-dimensional window of uniform size and with an extent in the distance dimension and the azimuth angle dimension around each radar reflection point and determining a sum of the variances of the Doppler speeds of all radar reflection points contained in the window and assigning it to the corresponding radar reflection point, and determining a radar reflection point as a point of a wheel whose assigned sum is greater than a predefined threshold value. - providing radar sensor data and sensor data relating to the target vehicle by means of the radar sensor and the second surroundings sensor , wherein radar reflection points are derived from the radar sensor data and determine a position determined by a distance and an azimuth angle and a Doppler speed of points on the target vehicle , - identifying a wheel of the target vehicle from the radar reflection points, - providing first wheel capture data based on the wheel identified from the radar reflection points, - identifying a wheel of the target vehicle from the sensor data from the second surroundings sensor and providing second wheel capture data based on the wheel identified from the sensor data, - merging the first wheel capture data and the second wheel capture data, and - determining a parameter of the target vehicle based on the merged first and second wheel capture data, characterized in that the identification of a wheel comprises placing in each case a two-dimensional window of uniform size and with an extent in the distance dimension and the azimuth angle dimension around each radar reflection point and determining a sum of the variances of the Doppler speeds of all radar reflection points contained in the window and assigning it to the corresponding radar reflection point, and determining a radar reflection point as a point of a wheel whose assigned sum is greater than a predefined threshold value. <EOS>