The Washington State Ferry systems’ reluctance to fully protect passengers by having sufficient numbers of life rafts available is one of the more perplexing bureaucratic heel-dragging situations this state has ever faced.

Common sense dictates that every commercial passenger vessel should have enough life raft space for everyone on board. But literally for decades, the ferry system has refused to comply with common sense.

We’re not talking about a major redesign of individual ferries to accommodate Titanic-style wooden life boats. Today’s life rafts are stuffed compactly into barrels and take up minimal space. The Steilacoom II, as the News-Times reported last week, was fully outfitted with life rafts before it was allowed to carry passengers across the dangerous waters between Keystone and Port Townsend. Even hard-headed ferry officials saw this decision as a no-brainer.

Officials weakly explain that the other ferry routes are closer to shore and aren’t quite so dangerous as Admiralty Inlet. In case of a disaster, the theory goes, there would surely be other boats in the area to help pluck people out of the frigid waters of Puget Sound. Again, this defies common sense. Anyone who has walked out on deck midway between Mukilteo and Clinton on a dark night realizes the absurdity of this argument.

Why the United States Coast Guard lets the ferry system get away with this is another puzzler. But the Coast Guard also allowed the dangerous Steel Electric class ferries to keep operating, so we can only surmise that Coast Guard and ferry officials are too friendly with each other. Public safety has to be the top priority, but nobody’s looking out for the public.

Fortunately, the Washington state Legislature is in session and busy dealing with various aspects of our troubled ferry system. Who could oppose a bill mandating life rafts for everyone? Other than the ferry system, of course.