We were inspired by a simple idea: students should not have to experience an accident, theft, or other stressful situation before learning how auto insurance works. Insurance can feel complicated, especially for young drivers who may be managing coverage and everyday driving risks for the first time. We wanted to make learning about it easier, more engaging, and more relevant to situations students actually face.

Inspiration

We were inspired by a simple idea: students should not have to experience an accident, theft, fire, or unexpected vehicle damage before learning how auto insurance works. Insurance can be overwhelming for young drivers, especially when complicated terms are introduced during an already stressful situation. We wanted to make insurance education more approachable by connecting it to situations students may actually experience while living, studying, and traveling.

What it does

Campus Dash is an interactive student driving arcade that combines gamification, insurance education, and risk prevention. Players navigate campus driving hazards, collect credits and insurance terms, monitor their risk level, and make quick decisions based on real-world situations. The Insurance 101 section complements the game with explanations of liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, along with deductibles, premiums, claims, interactive coverage scenarios, FAQs, a risk-readiness check, and an insurance helper. Together, these features help students understand insurance while learning how everyday decisions can reduce risk and potentially prevent claims.

How we built it

We built Campus Dash as an interactive web application using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in Visual Studio Code. We designed an arcade-style driving experience and connected it to an educational platform so that concepts encountered during gameplay could reinforce insurance knowledge. We used JavaScript for the game mechanics, hazards, scoring, risk system, interactive questions, and educational features, while local storage allows us to maintain non-sensitive game progress without requiring an account or database. We also used GitHub for version control, collaboration, and publishing our project.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was finding the right balance between education and entertainment. We wanted the game to be genuinely fun while ensuring that the insurance information remained meaningful rather than feeling like a textbook added onto a game. We also had to connect different components, including gameplay, risk decisions, educational scenarios, scoring, and insurance concepts, into one cohesive experience within the limited hackathon timeframe.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that Campus Dash developed into more than just an educational webpage or a driving game. We created an experience where students can play, make decisions, see consequences, and learn at the same time. Features such as the live Risk Meter, interactive driving decisions, insurance-term collectibles, Campus Risk Check, coverage scenarios, Insurance 101 resources, and Campus Cover Helper allowed us to approach insurance education from several different angles while keeping the experience student-focused.

What we learned

We learned that complicated topics like auto insurance can become much easier to understand when they are connected to familiar situations and interactive experiences. We also learned a lot about web development, game logic, user experience, collaboration, and designing educational content that remains engaging. Most importantly, the project reinforced that insurance education is not only about understanding what happens after a claim. Teaching people how to recognize and reduce everyday risks can be just as valuable.

What's next for Campus Dash

Our next step is to expand Campus Dash with more realistic driving scenarios, additional game levels, personalized risk feedback, achievements, and deeper insurance education. We would also like to improve mobile support, introduce student progress tracking, and explore location-based risk scenarios that could make the experience more relevant to where students live, study, and travel. Ultimately, we see Campus Dash growing into a platform that helps young drivers develop safer habits and understand their insurance before they ever need to use it.