What are common mistakes to avoid when using $_POST queries in PHP?

Common mistakes to avoid when using $_POST queries in PHP include not sanitizing user input, not checking if the input is set before using it, and not validating the input data. To avoid these issues, always sanitize user input using functions like htmlspecialchars(), check if the input is set using isset(), and validate the input data to ensure it meets the expected format and values.

// Example of sanitizing user input, checking if input is set, and validating input data
if(isset($_POST['username'])) {
    $username = htmlspecialchars($_POST['username']);
    // Validate username format here
}