Q: Shifter cable broke in heavy traffic on highway

I tried to downshift while driving at highway speeds of about 55-60 mph. The traffic was such that I needed to downshift, but there was no response from the manual gear shift lever. It was totally limp and even seemed disconnected from the shifting system. I maneuvered the car through the traffic and onto the off ramp, then safely into a parking spot. The car had to be towed to the nearest dealership where they reported to me that the shifter cable had broken. Later I researched and found that this is a common problem with other drivers with cars like mine. It is definitely a safety issue since the lack of shifting ability in any kind of traffic presents a hazardous situation. The mileage on my car is 65,000 miles. In my reading I learned that cars of any mileage have had this problem and many of them reported that their shifter cable had repeatedly broken. When I get this replaced, what can be done to prevent this from happening again to my car?