It’s not surprising that it’s “over used” when the docs for SDL_RenderPresent states:
You are strongly encouraged to call SDL_RenderClear() to initialize the backbuffer before starting each new frame’s drawing, even if you plan to overwrite every pixel.
Someone asked if this was really necessary in another topic, and I’m not sure what to make of it, but the final words by slouken was:
At the moment clearing the buffer isn’t necessary if you’re going to completely fill the frame, however it’s common practice and recommended by Apple on their platforms.