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I’ve been looking around online and I haven’t found a clear answer to this yet: How do I go about transporting a gig bag in a car? Should I try to place it somewhere where it won’t move? Also, it is possible to to leave the instrument in the bag or should I only leave it in the bag for transport and take it out upon arrival?

Transporting [a tuba] in a gig bag in the car:
Two Door coupe, I suggest you put the tuba in the passenger side front seat with the bottom bow in the floor board with the tuba bell resing against the back of the seat, strap it in with the seatbelt. This avoids the bell dinging cause by threading the tuba into the back seat. Also making the girlfriend get in the back while you let the tuba sit up front is a great way to give her the hint the relationship is over.
Four door sedan, lay the tuba down in the back seat with the bell throat forward (closest to the front seat backs). If an emergency stop means the tuba sliding forward, any damage in the larger bell area is cheaper to fix. Tuba will be the least of your problems at this point.
Big SUV, put the tuba in the back or wherever works well for you. Minimize any chance of it sliding around while you drive.

Putting it in the front seat sounds like a great idea, thanks for the suggestion!

What's wrong with the trunk?

However you decide to transport gig bag/tuba, find a way to restrain it.

Several years ago we (wife and I) were traveling I-90 when we were involved in a freakish/unusual traffic accident. My tuba, in hard case, was riding in the backseat of our Toyota 4Runner when the accident occurred at highway speed. The collision caused air bag deployment and the 4R was totaled. Luckily, we (and the tuba) escaped injury but the hard case was damaged when it slammed into the passenger side seat back/headrest. Ever since, I buckle in (had to rig a system cuz the factory seat belts don't work for it) the tuba and case when we travel.

In the wilds of Montana,
Dave

I just put it in the trunk or strap it in across the back seats. I haven't had a problem.

bort wrote:What's wrong with the trunk?

Billy Batts.

I put mine in the back of my wagon/crossover and hope I never get rear-ended. There's a rubber floor mat and the back isn't much larger than the horn in its bag, so it doesn't move around much.

I don't put it in the back seat in its gig bag unless I secure it with a belt or put a big cushion between it and the center console. I've had a horn in its bag fall off the seat when hitting the brakes suddenly, and it fell into the floor against the console, bending a piston stem and ruining the finger button.