My handgun goes in my console when driving.  

The seat belt interferes with waist carry positons slowing the draw process and I don't care for the "Wait while I get my gun" approach to personal defense.  Unlatching the seatbelt is very obvious from outside the car and is telescoping your intent to resist.  The idea is not to escalate a bad situation unless you have to.  Having my gun down the small of my back is about the worst since I'd almost have to get out the car to get to it.  

The most likely scenario any of us would face is car jacking or window mugging.  I'm not out to seek revenge after being robbed but prevent severe bodily harm or death.  Letting the badguy get the drop on me doesn't fit in my plans.  

Now that being said, console carry is just like personal carry and you have to practice pulling your weapon.  Placement is very important.  I use a one hand method, right hand, minimizing body movement which is telescoping.  This requires I face forward while watching a potential suspect from the corner of my eye.  If an approaching person is suspect but not showing a weapon, I have the optin of opening the console to speed the process but not drawing.  Life was alot easier before the seatbelt laws.  

Another benifit is the gun is not on me should I be pulled over.  There isn't a must disclose clause in TN and cops don't quite feel as threatened if you don't have a gun right on you.  Personal if on me, I would show them my CCW card right off required by law or not.  

There's some downsides and probably the biggest is transferring the weapon from your console to your person when you get out the car.  I do this in the car but sometimes have to wait until people are not next to the car.  With this in mind, sometimes I carry two one on me and one the console.  

In making the decsion, I suggest you set in your drive and try both on you carry and console with emphais on which is faster with the least telescoping of your intent.  There's alot of factors from your body shape to the car cockpit design so one answer doesn't fit all.  What this does is you develop not only your technique but can have guns specifically dedicated to console use (see above).

Tj

Edit: I wanted to note I discarded seat belt losening techniques so my draw time would increase during personal carry.  The odds of a car accident far outweigh the odds of armed confrontation.  I added this cause I know alot of people who do this.  

Quoted: I have heard of people that have some type of holster set up under the dash or something of the like.  I don't know how safe or feasible this is, anyone do this, think its ok, have any ideas about, anything like that?

It depends on the type of vehicle.  Its really not a good idea to have your weapon visible.  

I do a couple things for console carry.  All of my carry holsters are belt holsters.  After determining the best positon so the console will close and for best speed drawing, I mounted a leather strap to velcro and matched it to the other side of velcro which I tap on the vehicle.  This allows me to use my carry holster as a console mounted holster as well as take out the leather leaving just the velcro if needed.  Its not as steady as a scewed in dedicated holster but is secure enough you don't have to draw the gun from the holster with one hand.  That's a deep console and all of my handguns will fit in it.  I use a couple strips of velcro which allows me to position the leather strap (piece of old belt) for different firearms.  Its almost always barrel down and handgrip to the front but somtime barrel forward handgrip down.  

In my vehicles with shallow console.  I've done really nothing since depending on what gun it is it will fit only one way.  Here I simply lay the gun in there barrel down towards the back and handgrip up towards the front.  You guys find this funny but I use napkins I pick up at fast food places etc. to hold the gun in position and keep it from shaking about.  The napkins come in handy for other stuff.  Now if you can imagine the position, it allows me to open the console and draw in a natural positon with my right hand.  

Tj

Give you another place, the old fold down arm rests in a bench seat.  That actually saved my ass once.

Story:

Driving to Texas through Arkansas a 24 hour trip tired and unable to stay awake, I pull into a road side rest to take a quick nap.  I'm not there 10 minutes or so when a car with no muffler pulls right behind mine and stops.  I think WTH there's parking places everywhere.  Curious I raise my head to look through the side view mirror.  Two guys get out wearing nothing but short pants one with a handgun.

I lower the arm rest and retreave my .38 snub.  Laying down this was an odd angle so when I pulled it, it must of flashed above the seat.  One of the guys yelled, "He's got a gun!"  They then piled in their car and drove off.  Shakened, actually my wife and I (she was in the backseat) went into the rest, reported it to the caretaker, and washed our faces with water to wake up.  

We get back on the highway.  At the next roadside rest just east of Texarkanna, we notice flashing emergency lights everywhere.  This was back in the CB days so I get on the horn and ask if anyone knows what happened.  I was told two guys fitting the same description had robbed some guy sleeping on a picnic table and shot the victim in the head.  

You want to know why I carry in a car, well here is one of the reasons.

Tj