Vehicle securement override system

A vehicle system configured with a user selectable override of an automatic vehicle securement feature to prevent an unoccupied vehicle from driving away, the vehicle system comprising:

• a shifter configured to move the vehicle between Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive (PRND) positions;
• a Park button configured to command the vehicle into the Park position;
• a brake system controller configured to selectively engage and disengage a parking brake;
• an occupant restraint controller configured to determine a buckled or unbuckled status of a driver seat belt;
• a body computer configured to determine if a driver door is ajar;
• and
• a controller, having one or more processors, in signal communication with the shifter, the Park button, the brake system controller, the occupant restraint controller, and the body computer, the controller programmed to:
• initiate the automatic vehicle securement feature and engage the parking brake when one or more predetermined conditions are met, to thereby prevent the vehicle from driving away;
• and
• override the automatic vehicle securement feature when a user presses the Park button for a predetermined period of time while the vehicle is already in the Park position, to thereby enable the user to drive the vehicle when the one or more predetermined conditions for the automatic vehicle securement feature are met.