Method for Operating a Driver Assistance System of a Vehicle With Automated Transverse Guidance in Following Mode, Driver Assistance System, and Vehicle

A method for operating a driver assistance system of a vehicle includes checking whether lane markings are present in an environment of the vehicle, detecting other road users in the environment and determining a position and/or a movement of the respective other road users, activating a following mode in which a road user ahead is followed at least periodically with automated transverse guidance, if no lane markings are present in the environment, determining an imaginary ego lane in which the vehicle is moving and at least one imaginary adjacent lane adjoining the imaginary ego lane based on the position and/or the movement of the other road users, and deactivating the following mode if a lateral distance between the road user ahead and the at least one imaginary adjacent lane drops below a predetermined minimum distance.