1. An educational institution may operate on the highways of this State an unregistered motor vehicle otherwise required to be registered pursuant to this chapter if there is displayed on the vehicle a special license plate assigned to the educational institution pursuant to subsection 2. Such operation is strictly limited to movement of the vehicle:

(a) From one educational institution to another educational institution;

(b) From the educational institution to an established place of business which specializes in particular automotive repairs; and

(c) Which is necessary to test the vehicle under practical operating conditions on the road.

2. Upon application by an educational institution, submission of such evidence of qualification as is determined necessary by the Director and payment of the applicable fee, the Department shall assign to the educational institution one or more sets of special license plates for use on educational vehicles. The Department shall charge and collect a fee of $5 for each set of special license plates issued pursuant to this section. The plates are valid for 1 year. The fee for renewal is $5.

3. Any unauthorized use of special license plates issued pursuant to this section is cause for the Department to revoke all sets of those plates issued to the educational institution. Unauthorized use of the plates includes:

(a) Display on a vehicle which is not an educational vehicle; and

(b) Movement of an educational vehicle in any manner not authorized in subsection 1.

4. Each special plate issued pursuant to this section must have displayed upon it suitable characters, as determined by the Department, to identify the vehicle as an educational vehicle. The special plates may be used interchangeably on educational vehicles by the educational institution to which the plates were issued.

5. As used in this section:

(a) “Educational institution” means:

(1) A public school as that term is defined in NRS 385.007; or

(2) One of the branches or facilities within the Nevada System of Higher Education,

which offers a course of instruction in automotive repair and owns or controls an educational vehicle.

(b) “Educational vehicle” means any motor vehicle which is owned or controlled by an educational institution and used exclusively for the purposes of a course of instruction in automotive repair. The term does not include any motor vehicle:

(1) Used by the educational institution for any purpose not directly related to a course of instruction in automotive repair.

(2) Owned by a pupil, student or employee of the educational institution.

(Added to NRS by 1991, 316; A 1993, 410)