New World coral snakes possess one of the most potent venoms of any North American snake. However, relatively few bites are recorded due to their reclusive nature and the fact they generally inhabit sparsely populated areas. Even in areas that are densely populated, bites are rare.
Also not to be confused with the non-venomous king snake:
They taught us that at summer camp. They were trying to conserve water and had a little song to remind us, "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down."