Albuquerque, a city in New Mexico, has found a new way to stop drivers from speeding. The city's traffic lights now stay red until a car comes close. Vehicles at or below the speed limit get a quick green light, while speeding drivers must wait longer. Officials say this system, called "rest in red," has cut crashes and injuries.

Jennifer Turner, Albuquerque's director of municipal development, said drivers soon understand how the system works. "If you come to Albuquerque right now and you're driving that corridor, you will learn pretty quickly that if you are speeding, you stop," she explained.

Isaac Romero, who lives near the road, said cars used to race at night, and some crashed close to his home. Now, he added, fewer drivers speed through the area.

Portland, a city in Oregon, began using a similar system at night on a busy road with a long history of accidents. Peter Koonce, who manages the city's signals, noted a change. The average speed at one intersection fell from 63 km/h to the speed limit of 48 km/h.

Not everyone is convinced. Jay Beeber of the National Motorists Association, a drivers' group, worries that motorists will not understand why the lights are red. He believes they will simply feel frustrated instead. Despite its early success, many U.S. cities have been slow to adopt "rest in red."