They make metal-braided hoses that have a built-in valve that shuts
down if it detects a broken hose (I assume it works by having a flow-
limiter on the far end and if the flow through a broken hose is more
than that, a valve at the near end shuts down).

They do take a little longer to fill the washing machine (the flow is
slightly less) but it's worth the extra couple of minutes it takes for
the wash to finish for peace-of-mind. By the way, if you do use
these, you're defeating the purpose of them if you turn the water off.

They're not expensive-- got mine at HD.

Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com