Why is o-toluic acid (2-methyl benzoic acid) stronger than benzoic acid ?

2-Methyl Benzoic acid (or o-toluic acid) is stronger than benzene and it's methyl derivatives because steric inhibition of resonance (SIR effect)  due to this effect the carboxyl group being out of the plane of the aromatic ring.The carboxy group being out of the plane in 2-methyl benzoic acid, which inhibiting +R effect and eliminates the factor of +H and increase acidic character of benzoic acid.