In the past year I had one rattle at me on a hiking trail, and almost walked into one on a paved path that hundreds of people walk on... You're quite wrong.
For a second yeah, i think that's what's supposed to happen.. It rattles, I get scared, I avoid it. nature in action. They're hard to see though. But, if you're in an area with them, it's very possible to be bitten. Definitely rare, but possible.
Were you actually bit? How many bites happen on that paved path per year? The answer is likely very close to 0 no matter how many people walk there.
Fewer than 8,000 venomous snake bites are reported annually: