How do I handle MySQL errors gracefully in PHP to prevent fatal errors?

Instead of directly echoing the error message, which can cause a fatal error, you should check for errors after each database operation. Use `if ($result)` to check if the query was successful. If not, you can log the error to a file, display a user-friendly message, or attempt to retry the operation. Proper error handling prevents your script from crashing and provides a better user experience.