If the police determine that you violated a traffic law when they respond to your car accident, you may receive a traffic ticket. Regardless of who bears the fault for an accident, drivers may receive a ticket if the police find that they violated a traffic law before the accident occurred.
Likewise, if neither party violated a traffic law, neither should receive a ticket. For example, if a defective traffic light led to an accident, the police may not find either party to have been in violation of a traffic law.
In some instances, police may even cite a victim for a non-moving violation, such as not carrying their driver’s license. In rare instances, the police will forego issuing a traffic citation.