BOSTON -- Boston drivers aren't known for being the most courteous, but Hub city councilors want to change that.

They're hoping a pledge and some peer pressure will get motorists to slow down on city streets.

NewsCenter 5's Steve Lacy reported that driving in Boston can sometimes be a white-knuckle experience, so City Councilor Robert Consalvo has proposed a plan where drivers will pledge to always follow posted speed limits.

People who make the pledge would receive a bumper sticker that would urge other drivers to follow suit. The idea is that, car-by-car, over time, people participating in the "Pace Car" program will take back the city's roads from reckless drivers.

"The Pace Car program lets the city work with residential communities, neighborhood associations and crime watches by partnering with them, by asking them to sign a pledge that they will drive slowly within their neighborhood. They will put a decal on their car so people will know why they are driving slowly. Also, they will put a decal on their car so people will know they are participating in a reducing-speeding program," Consalvo said.

The program enjoys the support of local police and has enjoyed mixed success in other communities. In Northampton, Mass., the city is happy with participation. About 150 Hampshire County commuters have taken the pledge. In Palo Alto, Calif., however, 400 people signed up but the program about three years ago was discontinued after one year.

"There is a real problem in city neighborhoods, quiet, residential side streets, with people who use the street as a cut through to go to other areas in the city, but do that while speeding," Consalvo said.

In Atlanta, 1,400 people signed up for the program when it was rolled out in 1999.