Checking and accessing array element without error python

I have array, which I want to validate, 2nd item of that array. There are 2 ways which comes to my mind

1. Check for array lenght

   if len(array) > 1:
       # Process for array[1]
   
   

2. Catch IndexError and process in else block.

   try:
       array[1]
   except IndexError:
       pass
   else:
       # Process for array[1]
   
   

Which one is better?

If you have any other option, I am ready to learn :)