Method and apparatus for operating a lighting device of a vehicle

The method involves providing an automatic mode for switching a high beam light of an illumination device corresponding to a desired state of an operation, and a manual mode for manually switching the high beam light. The automatic mode is changed into the manual mode by a manual switching of the high beam light. The manual mode is switched automatically to the automatic mode when the present switching state is matched with the desired switching state. A switching time is adjusted by an operator depending on actual driving parameters. An independent claim is also included for a device for operating an illumination device of a vehicle.