Never get your ship blown up at a gate again!
Target the gate right in the middle, but dont use the dock. Wait until you are almost flying through the middle of the gate, then dock. This way you can keep your cruise on all the way to the gate. You can do the same for gates that lead to other systems. Cruise right up to the point where it opens, and then dock, it should almost immediately go to a cut screen. The same also applies to jumpholes, you get really close before docking. With a little work you can do the same at stations, but you have to know which bay it is that opens.