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Of course the DOT agrees, but they kind of have to. It's not as though a DOT spokesman could say, "It's bloody insane to think you can go exactly 55 on 285, and the law that says you have to is meant strictly to let us increase revenue and give us an excuse for pulling over anyone we think is suspicious."

The DOT could argue that their behavior was unsafe because, had an emergency vehicle needed to get somewhere at faster than 55mph, their actions would likely have prevented it from doing so (the emergency vehicle could have gotten stuck in traffic far enough back that the obstructors would have been unable to see it and yield).

Of course, another issue that needs to be considered is that if a certain number of cars per minute are entering a road, stopping distance will be proportional to speed minus a constant. Thus, under some traffic conditons, 60mph may be safer than 55mph.

distance will be proportional to speed minus a constant

Believe me, I am not in favor at all of the artificially low speed limits (or even the presence of speed limits to begin with). However braking distance, all others things held constant, increases proportional to the square of the initial velocity.

IOW, it takes roughly 4 times the length to stop from 60 as it does from 30.

had an emergency vehicle needed to get somewhere at faster than 55mph, their actions would likely have prevented it from doing so

Nonsense. It should have its sirens and lights on, which should compel all intervening vehicles to yield. When the EMT was behind the "pace cars" then they would be obliged to move to the right as well and no doubt would have. But if you need an excuse to be angry, I guess any one will do.