Why aren’t car-like 3 point seatbelts used in planes?
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Other commenters are right that plane seat belts are more for turbulence than crashes, though there’s a little more to it. There’s got to be a cost-benefit analysis: 3 point seatbelts probably would improve outcomes in a plane crash, *but* plane crashes are very rare, and it’s not going to be nearly as effective as it is in a car crash; so there’s really not much benefit.
Now for the “cost”. That’s not just monetary cost, but also comfort, convenience, and other consequences. 3 point seatbelts are much more complex, they need to retract under normal use then lock and pre-tension in a crash to be effective. This added complexity means malfunctions, which is either dangerous or puts the seat out of action. 3 point seatbelts are also less comfortable, we certainly don’t need more discomfort on planes; that might also lead to lower adherence to the rules, and actually *increase* the risk. They also take longer to get on and off, and inconvenience most of the time, but could be dangerous when a lot of people need to leave as quickly as possible.
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