Transporting My Cat - Taking My Cat To The Vet

I have always found taking my cat to the vet a very stressful event, most cats just don't like to travel and some, like mine can even get sick and throw up!  I am writing this due to the previous post "Cat Scratch".  I now have to take my cat to the vet and I'm stressing out about it.  I would like to know a better way to transport my cat other then how I've been doing it, with a cat carrier in the front seat of my car.  How can I make the trip less stressful for my cat?  What could I do before hand to mellow her out?  When should I stop feeding her before the trip?  Should I not use a cat carrier at all?  I've been wondering about this one for nine years, but am afraid to try it.  I've heard of others doing it but I worry about my cat getting under the pedals as I'm driving or something crazy like that.  I've seen people arrive at the vet the same time I have with their cat standing on the dashboard and all seems to be fine.  Does anybody have any experience with transporting their cat?  If so I would really appreciate your input, thank you!