In the context of PHP development, what are some common pitfalls to avoid when working with date and time functions to prevent inaccuracies in output?

When working with date and time functions in PHP, a common pitfall to avoid is not setting the correct timezone. This can lead to inaccuracies in the output of date and time functions, especially when dealing with time conversions or calculations. To prevent this issue, always set the timezone explicitly in your PHP script using the `date_default_timezone_set()` function.

// Set the timezone to the desired value
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

// Use date and time functions with the correct timezone
echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s'); // Output the current date and time in the specified timezone