Its pretty standard here to have the seatbelts that do retract to hold you tightly.....I can only think you had an older car.
I have just brought Leo a dog safety clip/seatbelt from Amazon....one end clips into the seatbelt and the other end clips on his harness. We havent tried it yet but it seems very secure and safe so I feel happier now that I wont be able to use his crate.