A TRUCK driver who filmed himself swearing as he passed a group of bike riders at Granya has defended his actions.
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Charlie Butt was driving north in a truck on Granya Road on Saturday.
As he crossed over onto the wrong side of the road and passed the group, he could be heard swearing at the group about their “good safety”.
“This is why you f--wits get f---ing killed,” he said.
Mr Butt swore about having to go onto the wrong side of the road, calling them “f---ing idiots”.
He posted the video on social media, leading to 150,000 views before he pulled it down on Monday.
There was a mixed response from viewers, with concerns Mr Butt had filmed it on his phone.
Despite the footage being filmed in a vertical format typical of mobile footage, and bobbing up and down at what appeared to be chest level, Mr Butt said he had filmed it on a GoPro attached to his hat.
He said he posted the footage amid concerns about the danger of the situation.
“I’ve driven trucks for 16 years and I have been in situations where I’m trying to slow a 64.5 tonne truck when there’s a truck coming the other way, and bike riders are the object I have had to miss,” he said.
“Another truck has ran off the road for that.
“I’ve always kept a GoPro on the hat.
“I was that frustrated, I had the GoPro on the peak of the hat should I see them again.
“It’s the fact it was a dangerous situation that occurred, and the bike riders are putting their own lives at risk and they don’t know it.”
Mr Butt – who co-hosts TV show Two Mates Adventures – said the truck wasn’t loaded.
“I apologise for the bad language on there, but I was very frustrated,” he said.
He denied he was on his phone and said it was “probably a setting on the GoPro” that had caused the video to be captured in the phone-style format.
Australian Cycle Alliance President Edward Hore said it was legal and safer for riders to travel two abreast and was critical of the footage.
“It’s perfectly safe and is recommended by the police,” he said.
“It’s better for visibility, it makes it safer for all road users.
“Changing lanes is the safest way to pass cyclists, especially on country roads.
“They’re riding the exact way we would recommend.”
