An operating unit includes a touch-sensitive operating area and control unit. The control unit determines an activation location on the operating area from the information relating to the touched regions. If the activation location is in a predefined field, the control unit performs a function assigned to the field. The control unit determines the activation location from a position on or in the region of a boundary line bounding a fingertip and that is at the front in the direction of movement of the finger on the surface of the operating area, only when a determined speed of movement of a course of the regions of the touched operating exceeds a predefined limit value. Otherwise, the activation location is determined from an area centroid of all regions of the operating area which have been touched by the finger at a point in time.