Being in a car accident is bad enough, but when the investigating officer gives you an additional charge/ticket for not signaling a turn that you were making, it's even more frustrating. While you can't dispute that you collided with another vehicle, you can mount a defense for why you perhaps didn't signal before you turned. A skilled car accident attorney will help you to fight this ticket, which can improve your overall situation — perhaps by keeping your car insurance from climbing significantly. Here are some arguments that you can make when fighting a non-signaling ticket. 

The Sun Was Bright

When the sun is bright, it can be difficult for people to see your turn signal. This doesn't mean that you weren't using it — but it could mean that the other motorist involved in the accident and even the police officer who witnessed the collision were unable to see the turn signal blinking. Your car accident attorney can gather information about the conditions at the accident scene, including traffic camera footage, that may show extreme brightness from the sun setting, for example. This may help you to get the non-signaling charge dropped.

You Were Just Rear-Ended

Although the odds of being in two separate car accidents on the same day are low, it's possible that you'll face such bad luck. If you were rear-ended earlier in the day, the other vehicle may have damaged your turn signal — resulting in it not working when you turned it on. This may help your defense, but keep in mind that the first accident has to be recent. If you have a damaged turn signal from an accident that took place several weeks or months ago, the court will simply argue that you had ample time to fix the issue.

You Were Evading Another Motorist

It may be the case that you actually didn't engage your turn signal immediately prior to the accident, but that you failed to do so because you were actively evading another motorist. For example, if a motorist darted out into the road and you were forced to swerve to avoid him or her, you probably wouldn't have taken the time to signal. Instead, you would have focused on avoiding the accident, even if your actions led to an accident with another vehicle. You can expect your car accident attorney to ask additional questions about your use of your turn signal as he or she builds a case for you.