A method for influencing the direction of travel of a vehicle. In order to lower the risk of accidents in driving situations in which the driver reacts incorrectly, for example because of being surprised, it is provided that the driving operation be monitored in reference to the occurrence of an event due to which the travel direction (3) of the vehicle (1) changes, deviating from the travel direction specified at the steering wheel, and when such an event is detected that an automatic intervention in the driving operation be performed whereby the vehicle (1) is moved back approximately into the original direction of travel in which it was moving before the event occurred.