I think it's good to use a stud finder - they aren't very expensive.

Homes are constructed in a way to prevent this.

A 2 x 4 is really 1 1/2 x 3 1/2. When electricians run wires (horizontally) they drill holes in the center of the stud.

So... 3 1/2 divided by 2 = 1 3/4" the wires are supposed to be about 1 1/2" inside the wall. Add another 1/2" for drywall - and your electrical wires will be about 2" from the inside face of your wall.

If you use 1 1/2" screws you should be fine. When drilling, you can put a piece of tape on the drill bit, so you don't drill deeper than 1 1/2".

oh, I see, very clever. Yes, I am trying to learn how to use my drill (which has been sitting in a box for a year and a half after I bought it, ha!).

In addition, electric lines aren't usually run horizontally through a stud at the height that you'd normally hang pictures or shelves. Typically, wires run along the bottom or top of walls, not the middle.

Of course there's still a chance, but it's not likely.

Some stud finders also detect electricity.

When your drill bit breaks through the back of the drywall (or into a hole cut in the stud) you will feel all the resistance disappear. Don't keep pushing the drill past that point. You aren't going to damage wiring or pipes just by touching it.. you would have to continue applying pressure for the drill to do damage.