BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Actor Gary Busey, who suffered severe head injuries in a December motorcycle accident and still experiences gaps in his memory, said Wednesday he remains opposed to mandatory helmet laws.
'I think helmets should be a personal decision,' said Busey, looking pale but otherwise healthy during a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Busey, 44, said he opposes a blanket helmet law, but indicated he could support mandatory helmets and motorcycle education courses for '18- to 21- or 25-year-olds,' who he said are more reckless.
While acknowledging that 'helmets keep your brains inside your skull,' the actor contended they impair a rider's hearing and peripheral vision.
Busey, an active campaigner against mandatory helmet laws, was not wearing a helmet when he lost control of his Harley-Davidson Dec. 4 in Culver City and was thrown to the ground, striking his head against a curb.
He underwent brain surgery to remove two blood clots and spent a total of two months at Cedars-Sinai and Daniel Freeman medical centers. He was sent home two weeks ago.
'I feel real good,' said Busey, nominated in 1978 for an Academy Award for hisportrayal of the title role in 'The Buddy Holly Story.'
Busey admitted he is suffering from 'post-trauma amnesia, but things are slowly coming back.'
'I'm just now remembering some of the things that happened to me in the hospital,' said Busey, who is undergoing therapy but plans to begin filming a new movie in May.
As for the accident, Busey blamed himself for riding too fast - 'about 40 mph.' He admitted if he had been traveling slower while passing a bus, he would have been able to avoid 'a puddle of oil' that caused him to lose control of his motorcycle.
'I landed at the feet of a police officer, and he said, 'That's not the way to get off a bike' and immediately called the paramedics,' Busey said.
Busey, who had lost 10 pounds at a weight-loss clinic before the accident, said he shed another 25 pounds during his hospitalization, but insisted his medication be cut short.
'I'm a clean and sober person and I have been for four years,' said Busey, who battled back from drug addiction. 'I got my third lease on life.'
Busey said that while watching NBC's 'Saturday Night Live,' he learned that actor James Caan, who he called a good friend, also suffered a motorcycle accident.
'They were putting us back together,' Busey quipped.
Caan, 48, broke four ribs Feb. 12 when he flipped over the handle bars of his motorcycle after swerving to miss a car in Santa Monica. Police said the actor was not wearing a helmet.