“You can imagine how the California DMV would be struggling, with no technological background or engineers at their disposal, trying to figure out whether a particular autonomous vehicle is or is not safe enough to be deployed,” said Robert Peterson, a law professor at Santa Clara University.

“I expect they will conform their guidelines to the federal guidelines and probably [breathe] a great sigh of relief that they are now off the case,” he said.

Jean Shiomoto, director of the California DMV, confirmed as much. Shiomoto said during a panel discussion Monday that the agency does not have the “expertise on staff” and has relied on NHTSA for guidance and expertise in autonomous vehicle research.