1. The use and operation of a motor vehicle over the public roads, streets or highways, or in any other area open to the public and commonly used by motor vehicles, in the State of Nevada by any person, either as principal, master, agent or servant, shall be deemed an appointment by the operator, on behalf of the operator and the operator’s principal, master, executor, administrator or personal representative, of the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles to be his or her true and lawful attorney upon whom may be served all legal process in any action or proceeding against the operator or the operator’s principal, master, executor, administrator or personal representative, growing out of such use or resulting in damage or loss to person or property, and the use or operation signifies his or her agreement that any process against him or her which is so served has the same legal force and validity as though served upon him or her personally within the State of Nevada.

2. Service of process must be made by leaving a copy of the process with a fee of $5 in the hands of the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles or in the office of the Director, and the service shall be deemed sufficient upon the operator if notice of service and a copy of the process is sent by registered or certified mail by the plaintiff to the defendant at the address supplied by the defendant in the defendant’s crash report, if any, and if not, at the best address available to the plaintiff, and a return receipt signed by the defendant or a return of the United States Postal Service stating that the defendant refused to accept delivery or could not be located, or that the address was insufficient, and the plaintiff’s affidavit of compliance therewith are attached to the original process and returned and filed in the action in which it was issued. Personal service of notice and a copy of the process upon the defendant, wherever found outside of this state, by any person qualified to serve like process in the State of Nevada is the equivalent of mailing, and may be proved by the affidavit of the person making the personal service appended to the original process and returned and filed in the action in which it was issued.

3. The court in which the action is pending may order such continuances as may be necessary to afford the defendant reasonable opportunity to defend the action.

4. The fee of $5 paid by the plaintiff to the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles at the time of the service must be taxed in the plaintiff’s costs if the plaintiff prevails in the suit. The Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles shall keep a record of all service of process, including the day and hour of service.

5. The foregoing provisions of this section with reference to the service of process upon an operator defendant are not exclusive, except if the operator defendant is found within the State of Nevada, the operator defendant must be served with process in the State of Nevada.

6. The provisions of this section apply to nonresident motorists and to resident motorists who have left the State or cannot be found within the State following a crash which is the subject of an action for which process is served pursuant to this section.

[1:275:1953; A 1955, 453] + [2:275:1953] + [3:275:1953] + [4:275:1953] + [5:275:1953] — (NRS A 1957, 628; 1961, 155; 1963, 800; 1969, 95, 611; 1981, 1591; 1985, 1971; 2001, 2554; 2015, 1656)