At the end of each quarter (every three months), kanetix.ca, an online insurance quote comparison service, takes a look at the car insurance quotes obtained from people shopping for auto insurance. For the second quarter in a row now, the average lowest quote has been higher in 2007 then the same 3-month period in 2006.

The study looked at the lowest quote obtained by Ontario insurance shoppers during the months of October, November and December of 2007, came up with an average, and compared it to the same for 2006. With a 5.3% increase year-over-year, the latest kanetix.ca study suggests that auto insurance will soon become more expensive for many drivers. This is significantly higher than the previous quarter, where a 1.5% increase was noted; the first increase since kanetix.ca began the study.

If you see your auto insurance rates increase, what can you do?

Plenty. The following are tips to keep in mind if your rates start to climb.

• Don't believe the myths about auto insurance premiums.

Auto insurance premiums across insurance companies ARE NOT the same. What you are paying now with your current insurer is not the same as what you would get with another. In fact, each insurer's car insurance rates are so unique to them that it's safe to say that no two are alike.

• Shop around

You could pick up the phone and start calling around to all of the insurance companies you can think of, or you can get quotes instantly online. kanetix.ca, for example, is an online quote comparison services that provides drivers with instant online quotes from competing insurers.

• Shopping around is for everyone, not only bad drivers

This is a combination of the two tips above, but worthy of being stated on its own. Too often, drivers think that only those with bad driving histories have to shop around; not so much as to find a decent price, but to find coverage period. Everyone, good drivers or bad, should shop around to make sure they're getting the best price for the coverage they need.

• Compare apples-to-apples while shopping

When comparing car insurance rates, make sure you're consistent and include the same deductibles, coverages (like collision and comprehensive), and limitations so you're comparing like-rates. At comparison sites where you can actually compare competing rates, they'll do this for you.

• Never pay for a quote

Whether online, or offline, if you're shopping around for auto insurance you should never, ever pay to get a quote. It's simply shady. Online quote comparison services like kanetix.ca do not charge you to get quotes from competing insurers and do not tack on fees to the quotes you see.

Ready to fight the rising cost of car insurance? Compare car insurance quotes today to see if you could save money.