question about a traffic ticket?

i got a ticket for passing on a shoulder. the shoulder is used by everyone like a turning lane. when i moved here a year ago i tried turning from the lane and was almost hit every time, so i gave up and used the shoulder like everyone else. several dozen tickets at least were handed out that day for this. i know "everyone else is doing it" isn't usually a good excuse, but, later on that commute, traffic was slow on the highway and as i was driving seven miles an hour, i realized that if i was doing the minimum speed of 55, i would plow into everyone in front of me. isn't that the same? going along with traffic to avoid a collision.