Red and green traffic lights have been around since the 1800s, when British traffic officers used to rotate gas lamps that burned red and green to control the movement of mostly horse-drawn vehicles.

Many drivers find themselves frustrated by traffic lights, but they are a necessary evil to maintain the flow of traffic and ensure safety, even though queuing at the lights can feel like a slog.

Some things are so ubiquitous that it's easy to forget they're designed for a reason. With more than 300,000 traffic lights set up across the United States, it's easy to take how they look for granted ...