A Pace Car program to slow down drivers officially launches Saturday in two northwest Calgary communities.

Rocky Ridge and Royal Oak are the very first neighbourhoods in the city to test the pilot program.

Ward 1 Coun. Ward Sutherland says the goal is to get at least 200 drivers to sign up over the next two to three weeks.

He says it's about making a personal commitment.

"It is an unique program because it is about self-accountability and taking responsibility for your own actions, not for other people, but for your own actions," he said.

Sutherland said he originally floated the idea three years ago before being elected to municipal office.

City council at the time even approved spending $5,700 on the program.

Sutherland said it's pretty straight forward. After signing a pledge, drivers are given stickers that identify their participation in the program.

"You get a sticker for your back windshield and one for your bumper that says you're a Pace Car member and you follow the rules of the road," Sutherland explained.

"So you are doing the limit, we're not asking to go slower … and just be an example for everybody else."

The idea is to remind other drivers who see the stickers to slow down.

The program will be evaluated in the fall to see if it has had any impact on lead-footed drivers.