Strange Laws Around The World, Including France's Incoming Breathalyzer Requirement...

When travelling, it's important to have at least a vague idea of local laws. Sure, most of them are common sense, and you can probably avoid trouble simply by imitating the locals (though that's always a touch dubious, you can’t be sure that everyone’s following their own laws), but every so often there's a surprising regulation that - while it might not affect you every moment of the day - is certainly worth knowing if you're hanging around a little longer. The latest of those has just been introduced in France:

- In France, you must carry a breath-testing device when you drive. Or rather you will soon have to, when the law comes in over the next few days. The logic of this is a little dumbfounding: the idea of 'checking whether you are over the legal limit before driving' has an implication that some level of pre-driving alcohol is okay, a route most other countries try hard to discourage. On the plus side, if you do drive through France having not drunk a spot of alcohol for days, but are caught 'sans tester', your fine is a fairly tame 17 Euro, less than the cost of the tester itself. Your call...

- In Eureka, Nevada, it's illegal to kiss a woman if you have a moustache. We'd assume the law isn't enforced, but technically it does apply regardless of your relationship with said woman. It sounds like the kind of place you might visit for name alone to us. We haven't been able to find out how the laws adapt to kissing a man if you happen to be a bearded lady...

- In Singapore, chewing gum is illegal. Perhaps the world's most well-known quirky law, Singapore's obsession with cleanliness stretches just about this far. While you're unlikely to have your chewing gum taken from you at the airport (!), if you're caught chomping - and certainly if you're caught spitting the stuff out - in the streets, expect a fairly hefty fine. The latter might not be all that bad an idea in a few other cities, come to think of it...

- In Minnesota, it's illegal to stand around any building without a good reason. What this means for the traveller killing time, we're not entirely sure, and no doubt it's only used (if at all) in the sensible enforcement of loitering. But a strange law nonetheless.

- In England, placing a stamp upside down is technically an act of treason. Though, of course, that applies only to those iconic stamps with the outline of the Queen printed on them. The same applies to scratching a coin bearing the image of the Queen: though defacing might not be treated as the most offensive of crimes, it's still not the best of ideas.

- Getting cheeky with New Jersey traffic police can be costly. Not least in the usual sarcastic response to 'do you know why I pulled you over', the well-worn 'if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you'. That particular response will automatically earn you a fine of $300.

- Accessing the Internet in Burma is riddled with problems. There are software restrictions, extremely high and limiting prices (especially for locals, who generally can’t afford access at all), and if you're found, for example, accessing the Internet around the side of the government's 'proxy' servers, you could be in for some serious problems. Bizarrely, most traveller-access Internet cafes come with software that do this for you. The technique is aimed to stop anti-junta behaviour, and even accessing the Internet can, at times, be seen as evidence of dissident activity.

- It is illegal to drive without headlights on in Denmark. And not just at night, but throughout the day. This has actually been proven to be quite sensible, with numerous studies highlighting the improved safety results. Just make sure you don't forget to turn the lights on every time you start up.

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Photos by ZeroX (top - Burma Internet cafe), and trespassers william (bottom - chewing gum rock).