I was at a friend's apartment that New Year's Eve. Shortly before midnight, we went out on the balcony. This was one of those apartment complexes where there were three identical buildings around the parking lot. So probably half the balconies had people outside yelling and cheering. We all started counting down together and cheering after midnight.

Then people started going back inside. As it quieted down, I noticed that the fourth side of the rectangle formed by the three apartment buildings was the interstate highway. There were cars driving on it. There had been cars the entire time we were out on the balcony.

Personally, I don't think New Year's Eve is a big deal anymore. But I still can't imagine why so many people were out driving at midnight when the most significant digit in the year was rolling over. I can imagine reasons why one or two people might be out, but this was comparable to midnight traffic any other night of the year.