why seatbelts aren’t X-shaped/haven’t changed at all
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They have. Some of the early ones used to be simple lap belts (at least in the US). Now an over the shoulder harness is pretty much mandatory.
There was a fair amount of resistance to the initial mandating of seat belts (at least in the US) and simplicity and ease of use (consider the average IQ) was needed.
Harness type seat belts arguably provide better protection in high speed crashes but most of that advantage has been mitigated by the increasing sophistication of air bags. So the benefits are now fairly limited in all but the most extreme cases – which is why these types of seatbelts are required mostly for racing and high speed track use.
They are also very difficult and inconvenient to use properly. A proper harness has to be VERY tight – more so than an average person would be comfortable with. It takes a long time to put on (20-30 seconds perhaps) and severely restricts movement (as it should to function) It is more than likely that having them installed in a car would overall REDUCE the use of seatbelts which is contrary to public safety.
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