BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rising car insurance rates are forcing some drivers to rearrange their budgets.

David Kirst, manager of sales and operations at AAA of Central and Western New York, said he delivers the bad news about high premiums to clients regularly.

“Sometimes it’s a really bad and horrible conversation to have with someone letting them know that they’re just going to be paying a lot more for insurance on something that they had nothing to do with,” Kirst said.

He said rates have risen an average of 15% in the last year and will probably go up another 15% due to the increase in value of used cars and cost of shipping for parts. 

For anyone feeling the stress of rising costs, he said look for discounts that can be added to insurance by taking a six-hour accident prevention course and do not file claims on damages that cost less than the deductible. In those cases, paying out of pocket keeps your driving record in good standing.

The good news, Kirst said, is that these high rates are not here forever, and there will be relief down the road.