Never seen/heard of this in VA. Where is this in place if you don’t mind me asking?

If you go into the intersection, all you’ll be doing is blocking the intersection/obstructing view and forcing others to wait for you to turn if the light turns to red. What I have seen is people reverse when the light turns to red since they’ve impatiently crossed an intersection. Also, if you look at the solid white line on the ground, that’s the line every car waits behind until the way is clear or the light for said lane is green. The reason why I specifically waited is outlined in my comment, the nissan honked expecting me to go when there’s oncoming traffic.