Teenage drivers and pickups are a dangerous combination, a recent University of Texas study finds.

Using data from about 7,000 crashes in the U.S., the researchers found that teens driving pickups are twice as likely to be severely injured in a crash as teens driving a car.

The lead researcher, transportation professor Chandra Bhat, said part of the reason is that teens are more likely to drive aggressively when behind the wheel of a pickup.

In addition, according to the Dallas Morning News, pickups generally don’t do as well as other vehicles in crash tests, have a high rollover frequency and are harder to control.

Bhat’s research also found that:

–Regardless of a driver’s age, traveling with one young passenger is more likely to end in an accident with severe injuries than driving alone or with a group of young passengers, likely because with one passenger a driver feels an obligation to entertain or to stay focused on the lone passenger.

–Drivers tend to be more aggressive during morning rush hour because of the pressure to get to work or school on time as well as shorter distances between cars.

–Young adults are likely to drive aggressively until about 20 years old when accompanied by other young adults.

–A 16- or 17-year-old is 368 percent more likely to drive aggressively than a driver 65 or older.

To read more about the study, CLICK HERE.