The invention relates to a method for determining the absolute angular position of the steering wheel of a motor vehicle within a 360° segment using an optoelectronic steering angle sensor. The method comprises the following steps: irradiating an encoder (3), configured as a light slotted disk and having a scanning line (8) and a reference line (7), with a light source (2) for imaging the lines (7, 8) on the photosensitive surface of a line sensor (4); during this step, the bright-dark transition (11, 12) of a light trail (9, 10) extends across several image points (4'); secondly, scanning the light trails (9, 10) with the line sensor (4); and, lastly, determining the absolute angular position of the steering wheel by detecting the distance in subpixels between corresponding characteristics of the signal cluster of the scanning light trail (10) and the reference light trail (9) as detected by the line sensor (4). An optoelectronic steering angle sensor consists of the following three elements: firstly, a device with an encoder (3) which is connected to the rotational movement of the steering wheel, and has a scanning line (8) and a reference line (7). The distance between the two lines (7, 8) is a measure of the absolute angular position of the steering wheel; secondly, a light source (2) whose light irradiates one side of the encoder (3); and, lastly, a stationary line sensor (4) on whose photosensitive surface the light trails (9, 10) of the scanning line (8) and the reference line (7) are imaged. These three elements are mutually arranged in such a way that the bright-dark transition between the bright area of one light trail (9, 10) and the adjacent dark areas extends across several image points.