What are some common pitfalls to avoid when working with date functions in PHP?

One common pitfall when working with date functions in PHP is not specifying the correct timezone, which can lead to inaccurate date and time calculations. To avoid this issue, always set the correct timezone using the `date_default_timezone_set()` function before working with dates in your PHP script.

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

// Now you can work with dates and times accurately
$currentDateTime = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
echo $currentDateTime;