Motorists up and down the country could be running the risk of a serious accident as a result of tiredness and fatigue caused by an undiagnosed case of sleep apnoea, road safety organisation Brake has warned.

MP for Bolton West Julie Hilling has now seen her efforts to raise awareness of the significant dangers of this condition for motorists commemorated by the organisation, with the minister having played a crucial role in ensuring health minister Norman Lamb will now be taking up the issue of sleep apnoea with relevant organisations to see how the government can improve diagnosis rates and care for sufferers.

Typified by disrupted sleep patterns as the airway temporarily closes, causing the sufferer to wake up, often gasping for breath, sleep apnoea is believed to affect as many as 1.5 million people in the UK at present, although a significant number of this group remain undiagnosed.

Indeed, many individuals do not realise they even suffer from sleep apnoea, as difficulty to recall the sequence of events that led to their awakening is also a common issue surrounding the condition.

The consequences of sleep apnoea can be far-reaching though, causing sufferers to become excessively tired during the day and unable to function as they normally would when well rested.

Meanwhile, at least 300 people are killed every year as a result of road traffic incidents caused by driver tiredness and there could therefore be a strong link between improving the treatment of sleep apnoea for motorists and reducing this number of unnecessary deaths.

Ms Hilling has attended numerous events over recent years at which she has campaigned for a better understanding of the condition and the impact it can have on sufferers, after the issue was first brought to her attention in early 2011 when she was then a member of the Transport Select Committee.

She was contacted by the parents of a young woman who was killed after being struck by a lorry, the driver of which had fallen asleep at the wheel, while soon after she discovered that her own constituency saw particularly high rates of sleep apnoea diagnosis among its constituents.

Ever since, the minister has worked hard to draw attention to the issue and it is a road safety campaign that she has now been recognised for by Brake.

Accepting her accolade, Ms Hilling stated: "Sleep apnoea is a major problem for many of my constituents in Bolton West, causing many serious health issues as well as contributing to many road crashes."

Indeed, Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive at Brake, added: "We encourage Julie to keep the pressure up and we hope the government will follow through on her recommendations, potentially making a vital contribution to reducing the horrific toll of tired driver crashes.

"We urge anyone who thinks they may suffer from the condition – which is often identifiable through disturbed sleep and snoring – to seek advice and treatment immediately."