The Mayor of Baker Brook - a small village in northwestern New Brunswick – is speaking out about street racing after a teen died in a crash over the weekend.
Mayor Francine Caron says street racing has become a problem in her community and she's concerned that young people are taking too many risks.
"The kids…don't see the problem," says Caron. "They don't see they're going to kill somebody…they go too fast."
A vase of flowers lies tucked between a few trees in Baker Brook, where a car left the Cyr Road Saturday evening.
Police say two vehicles were racing each other when one vehicle, carrying three teens, lost control, left the road and crashed into a tree.
Jean-Yves Cyr, 17, was a passenger in the car and he died from his injuries. The driver, also a 17-year-old boy from Baker Brook, was airlifted to hospital and remains there in critical condition. A third 17-year-old boy from Verret sustained only minor injuries.
"The posted speed limit in that area is 50 kilometres an hour," says Sgt. Marc Violette, a spokesman with Saint-Leonard RCMP. "We have information to indicate that the speeds involved were significantly higher than that."
This is the second street racing death to hit the tiny community since August and Caron says she would like to see an increase in police presence.
But RCMP say their traffic enforcement unit is responsible for a wide area, and they're doing as much as they can with the resources they have.
They also say street racing could continue to be an issue in Baker Brook until the community rallies against it.
"At some point drivers have to take responsibility for their actions and communities at large have to take responsibility for …the people living in those communities, and a larger education and awareness has to take place," says Violette.
Police say they are still investigating the crash and are searching for the second car involved in the incident. They are also hoping to speak with the injured driver soon.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
