How can PHP developers avoid common pitfalls when working with date formatting in PHP?

When working with date formatting in PHP, developers can avoid common pitfalls by using the correct format characters and ensuring proper timezone settings. It's important to refer to the PHP manual for the correct format characters and to always set the timezone explicitly to avoid unexpected results.

// Avoid common pitfalls in date formatting by using the correct format characters and setting the timezone explicitly
$date = new DateTime();
$date->setTimezone(new DateTimeZone('America/New_York'));
echo $date->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');