I live in the People’s Republic of Maryland, where they will prosecute you for handgun possession, even if you own it legally, if you are not on the most direct route between home and range or home and gunsmith. My firearms were always at home, until I took them boating . . .
In the car? I always have a legal tool, a pocketknife, in a useful position. By definition, a pocketknife of any size cannot be considered a weapon. It does not have to be in your pocket or even closed to be a tool and not a weapon, so that’s what I carry. I also don’t go to Maryland’s many areas that are extra dangerous because criminals know that they are the only ones with firearms.
I always have a large “letter opener” handy in addition to mi pistola.
Besides a Taurus Judge and a Ruger .380 LCP mentioned earlier, I also carry THIS one-hand flip open in the doors side pocket, in case, God forbid, of a crash. It would also double as protection if I ran out of ammo and was still alive.