My grandmother had this irrational fear of snakes, she could not even watch them on television. I am afraid of snakes as well, but only in proximity. I suspect my fear stems from an inadequate knowledge on snakes, and a fear of being bitten. You always hear this horror stories of snake bites, even though a large amount of them are not even poisonous.
I believe there are a bad stigma attached to snakes, like the case with sharks. The media sometimes tend to use and abuse these stigmas to their own betterment and the reduction of the species. In this case I am revering to movies, and not documentaries, that help us understand a species more. Lots of innocent animals are killed ar get hurt by the bad wrap the media gives them.