USA TODAY - As auto insurance rates rise, steer toward money-saving strategies

As the price of gas accelerates toward $4 a gallon, perhaps it’s time to think about another painful cost of driving: auto insurance.

After falling or remaining flat through 2007, average auto insurance premiums rose during the first quarter of this year, a new survey by Insurance.com, a website that lets consumers compare insurance quotes, found.

Rates increased by an average of 1.05% in the quarter and are likely to continue rising through the rest of the year, says Sam Belden, consumer director for Insurance.com.

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Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, concurs that auto insurance rates rose during the first quarter but says the increase added only $8 to $9 to the average consumer’s annual bill. “The cost of auto insurance is, on average, increasing, but at a very modest pace and well below the pace of overall inflation,” he says.

Still, whether …

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