Michigan has a new law on the books designed to cut down the number of stolen cars.

Last year, just more than one million cars were stolen in the U.S. with 25,000 of them right here in Michigan. Thieves use a device called an “auto pro pad” to grab your key fob data, and within seconds, they can be in your car and driving away.

State Representative Alabas Farhat co-authored the legislation and says car theft hurts people in many ways.

“I mean, talk about being terrorized in your own homes, afraid that someone will pull up, steal the car right off your driveway,” Farhat said. “And they’re not just robbing your vehicle. They’re robbing your means to go to work, your means to take your kids to school. They’re taking away your ability to have independence in your own life.”

Auto pro pads are used legally by locksmiths and mechanics to generate new keys when the original key fob is lost or broken.

The new law imposes a five-year felony on knowingly possessing traditional or electronic burglary tools or devices designed or adapted to unlock or turn on a vehicle with the intent to steal the vehicle. If the effort involves more than one person and more than one vehicle and is part of a criminal enterprise, it’s a 10-year felony.